liveUpdated 21s agoFollow live coverage as New England and Seattle kick off the 2026 regular season with a Super Bowl rematchThe Athletic Live TeamSeptember 9, 2026 at 5:02 PM EDTSeahawks quarterback Sam Darnold Getty ImagesPatriots vs. Seahawks — LatestThe New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks kick off the 2026 NFL regular season with a rematch of Super Bowl LX.The Seahawks will raise their second championship banner before tonight's kickoff. The Patriots are looking forward to the debut of new wide receiver A.J. Brown, but they will be without running back TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) tonight.Start time: 8:20 p.m. ETWatch: NBC, PeacockStreaming: Fubo (Stream Free Now)Join the Chat tab or email live@theathletic.com to share your thoughts.SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisementHenderson's injury statusHenderson in practice in August, prior to his injury IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectThe biggest injury news regarding tonight's game is that the Patriots will be without second-year running back TreVeyon Henderson, who has been out since suffering an ankle injury in practice on Aug. 24. In his absence, Rhamondre Stevenson will get the lion's share of the touches for New England's backfield, while Corey Kiner is likely to see more action as well. Debut for Seahawks offensive coordinator Getty ImagesWith the departure of offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who took over as the head coach of the Raiders, the Seahawks hired Brian Fleury as their OC during the offseason. Fleury spent the past seven seasons with the 49ers, most recently serving as run game coordinator and tight ends coach. Helping to smooth the transition, Fleury comes from the same coaching tree as Kubiak, playing the West Coast offense and having learned from Kyle Shanahan. "I'm looking forward to it," Fleury said ahead of tonight's game. "I've had more fun out here at practice these last two days than any of the last seven years, so I'm excited to continue this journey and get out there for the first time on Wednesday."His new players have been highly complimentary of the work he has done so far. "He's done an unbelievable job and it's cool to see," Cooper Kupp said. "It's not an easy thing, it's not missed. We have an offensive coordinator come over, he didn't bring anyone with him. He had to install his vision to coaches so they can go out and install it to the players. That's a tough thing to do."Offensive lineman Grey Zabel had my favorite description, saying Fleury "Just seems like the man.com. He's a good dude, an unbelievable coach. I love his run-first mentality, and we are going to enjoy it."Notable Seahawks offseason movesJadarian Price Getty ImagesAdditionsOLB Dante Fowler: Signed from Cowboys in free agencyRB Emanuel Wilson: Signed from Packers in free agencyRB Jadarian Price: Drafted 32nd CB Julian Neal: Drafted 99thThe biggest signings that the Seahawks made this season were in fact re-signings, including WR Rashid Shaheed and CB Josh Jobe both on three-year deals. SubtractionsSuper Bowl MVP RB Kenneth Walker III: Signed with Chiefs in free agencyOLB Boye Mafe: Signed with Bengals in free agencyS Coby Bryant: Signed with Bears in free agencyCB Riq Woolen: Signed with Eagles in free agencyNotable Patriots offseason movesA.J. Brown Getty ImagesAdditionsWR A.J. Brown: Acquired from Eagles in tradeWR Romeo Doubs : Signed from Packers in free agencyOL Alijah Vera-Tucker : Signed from Jets in free agencyEdge Dre'Mont Jones: Signed from Ravens in free agencyFB Reggie Gilliam : Signed from Bills in free agencyS Kevin Byard III: Signed from Bears in free agencyT Caleb Lomu: Drafted 28th DE Gabe Jacas: Drafted 55th TE Eli Raridon: Drafted 95thSubtractionsWR Stefon Diggs: Released from team, signed with Commanders in free agencyLB K'Lavon Chaisson: Signed with Commanders in free agencyC Garrett Bradbury: Traded to BearsNT Khyiris Tonga: Signed with Chiefs in free agencyTE Austin Hooper: Signed with Falcons in free agencyLB Jahlani Tavai: Released from team, signed with Jaguars in free agencyMacdonald on what's changed since Super Bowl Getty ImagesSeattle head coach Mike Macdonald spoke ahead of tonight's game about how both the Seahawks and the Patriots have changed since the Super Bowl. 💬 “It's been a long time since the (Super Bowl). I think both teams would tell you we're different versions of who we are.”He went on to speak about how Seattle plans to cover New England's new wide receivers, A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs. 💬 “That's another example of there's new personnel on both sides of the ball. And you can guess all you want on how they're going to use their new players based off of what they've done in their past, and how they've utilized players in their offense in years past, but at best that's an educated guess.”The Patriots acquired Brown from the Eagles in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick, while they signed Doubs to a four-year deal in free agency. SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisementMaye on Super Bowl rematch: ‘You cannot get that game back’This hit on Maye in the fourth quarter led to a pick six Getty ImagesDrake Maye had a brutal time against the Seahawks defense during the Super Bowl, taking six sacks and committing three turnovers. On Saturday, he was asked during a news conference whether he feels better equipped now to compete against Seattle's defense. 💬 “We got to learn from it. I think you would like to think you are, but it's really when you are out there, and you got to react, and you got to have some urgency, and we got to get ready to play at their place. It's going to be a tough environment. They are well-coached; they got great players. We got a good team, so I am looking forward to seeing what we got.”Maye also spoke about whether the prospect of getting revenge for the Super Bowl loss adds anything extra to tonight's game. 💬 “There's definitely, I would not say extra, just a little bit of, 'Man, this is our chance to start the season off strong on a good foot and knowing that the opponent that we have.' You get to say, you get a little bit of your revenge game, but I would not say revenge game. They won the big one, and we got to start the season off. You cannot get that game back that we lost, so we are onto something new.”New England's only weakness is Seattle Getty ImagesThe Seahawks have had more success against the Patriots than just the Super Bowl in recent years. Seattle has a four-game winning streak overall against New England and, even more impressively, since 2000, it is the only team that has a winning record against the Patriots, going 4-2 over that span. New England has a .500 record against Green Bay, Kansas City and San Francisco and a winning record against every other team since 2000. The Seahawks are also one of just three teams, along with the 49ers and Eagles, to have a winning record against New England at Gillette Stadium. McDaniels on Super Bowl loss: ‘They out-everythinged us’ Getty ImagesPatriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels took the blame for his team's loss in Super Bowl LX when speaking to ESPN ahead of tonight's game, but he also said that he expects tonight to be a “different game.”💬 “I didn't do a good enough job. Point it at me. They out-everythinged us in the game. We have a lot of things we learned. But I think this will be a different game; I think it will be a new game. It's a new year. We have some different players. They have a few guys that are new. They certainly found some opportunities last year, and hopefully we've done a good job trying to limit those Wednesday night.”Super Bowl rematch Getty ImagesTonight's game is a rematch of February's Super Bowl LX, which saw the Seahawks dominate the Patriots 29-13 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The game wasn't even as close as the score makes it sound, as Seattle led 19-0 in the fourth quarter, and New England didn't exceed seven points until the final three minutes. Kenneth Walker, who now plays for the Chiefs, took MVP honors after racking up 161 total scrimmage yards. Seattle's defense sacked Drake Maye six times and forced him to commit three turnovers, including a pick six in the fourth quarter that eliminated any doubt about the game's eventual outcome. This is the third time in NFL history that a Super Bowl rematch is being played in Week 1. In 1970, the Vikings opened the regular season with a win over the Chiefs after losing Super Bowl IV to Kansas City, while in 2016, the Broncos beat the Panthers in Week 1 after defeating Carolina in Super Bowl 50. Get involved in our coverage! Getty ImagesWhich team will win tonight's season opener? What are you expecting from the 2026 season? And who will win this year's Super Bowl?We want your answers to those questions, plus your thoughts and questions for us! You can get involved in our coverage by joining the Chat tab at the top of this page or by emailing us at live@theathletic.com.We'll share some of our favorite comments throughout the night, so don't be shy! SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisementSubscribe to The Athletic The AthleticIt's a brand new NFL season, and that means it's the perfect time to subscribe to The Athletic.We've got the new season covered from every angle and plenty more to cover. The college football season has just begun, the U.S. Open is churning along, and the NBA and NHL seasons are right around the corner — and you can follow them all here.You can subscribe to The Athletic with an exclusive offer here. How to watch Patriots vs. Seahawks Getty ImagesTonight's season opener between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks will air on NBC and stream on Peacock. Mike Tirico will be on the call alongside Cris Collinsworth, with Melissa Stark and Kaylee Hartung reporting from the sidelines. Start time for Patriots vs. Seahawks Getty ImagesTonight's season opener between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks is scheduled to kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET, which is 5:20 p.m. PT local time. Prior to kickoff, the Seahawks will unveil their Super Bowl LX championship banner. Live coverage of Patriots vs. Seahawks Getty ImagesHello, football fans. Welcome to our coverage of tonight's game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks!The 2026 NFL regular season kicks off tonight, and we couldn't be more excited. Tonight's game is a fantastic matchup and a rematch of last season's Super Bowl. So sit back and stay with us as we build up to kickoff!