Updated September 09, 2026, 8:13 PM EDT By Andrew Greif, Rohan Nadkarni, and Greg Rosenstein The NFL is officially back with a Super Bowl rematch between the defending champion Seahawks and Patriots. How will Seattle look without star running back Kenneth Walker III, now in Kansas City? What will newly-acquired wide receiver A.J. Brown mean for New England’s chances this season? Stay with NBC News all night for live analysis from the opening game of the NFL season. New England Patriots at Seattle SeahawksDate: Wednesday, September 9Time: 8:20 p.m. ETHow to watch: NBC or stream on Peacock Just nowHow will Patriots handle distractions in 2026?Mike Florio and Chris Simms discuss the distractions that surrounded the Patriots and Mike Vrabel this offseason, analyzing what the future could hold for the team if they start off slow.14m ago / 7:59 PM EDTSeahawks announce their inactive playersNick Emmanwori had been questionable due to an ankle injury but officially will not suit up.22m ago / 7:51 PM EDTShowdown of superstar wideoutsSeattle's Super Bowl win in February was aided by having a strong corps of wide receivers for quarterback Sam Darnold to throw to, led by Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He caught a franchise-record 119 passes for a league-leading 1,793 yards last season and was named the league's offensive player of the year. New England was hampered by its lack of a downfield threat during the postseason, when it was held to 16 points or fewer three times after averaging 28.8 points per game during the regular season. In the offseason, the team sought to upgrade its weapons around third-year QB Drake Maye by trading for Philadelphia's A.J. Brown. A Patriots fan growing up in Mississippi, Brown has caught seven or more touchdowns and 1,000 or more receiving yards in six of his seven NFL seasons.33m ago / 7:40 PM EDTSeahawks replacing key pieces of Super Bowl teamSeattle's success led the Las Vegas Raiders to hire Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak as its head coach, and the team tapped Brian Fleury as his play-calling replacement. This is a big jump for Fleury, who has never before worked as an offensive coordinator at any level of football, and most recently was the 49ers' tight ends coach for the past four seasons. He also served as San Francisco's run game coordinator last season.Seattle will need to replace another significant offensive contributor, as well: running back Kenneth Walker. Walker ran for a team-high 1,027 yards last season en route to winning Super Bowl MVP honors. He signed with Kansas City. Defensively, the Seahawks lost safety Coby Bryant, who signed as a free agent in Chicago.Love and Bryant are the only starters from the Super Bowl win to leave, however. Remarkably, the Seahawks bring back 20 of their 22 starters.42m ago / 7:31 PM EDTRules changes to know in 2026In 2026, the NFL has tweaked its rulebook again. Among the changes:Coaches now can designate an assistant coach who can throw the red challenge flag, but it's not mandatory. Mike Vrabel, the Patriots' coach, has said he will be maintaining possession of the challenge flag. Also, the league has tried to crack down on moves it believes are among the most likely to injure players. That's why starting this season, a one-game suspension will be given to any player who accumulates penalties from three specific moves — hip drop tackle, horse collar tackle, launching, hit on a defenseless player, and a blindside block.52m ago / 7:21 PM EDTMike Tomlin set to make NBC debutFormer longtime Steelers coach Mike Tomlin will work his first game providing analysis for NBC tonight, and he was recorded warming up Wednesday in Seattle with the rest of the NBC "Sunday Night Football" crew.Here's what Tomlin said about a potential return to coaching next season:“It’s certainly not a 32-team league for me, but I’ve also learned to never say never," he said last month to NBC's Cris Collinsworth. "I love to coach. I love all the challenges of the profession. I love to be a part of growth and development of young people individually. I love the measurement of the seven-day cycle, but also have enjoyed, man, the last six months life on this other side that I had no idea about."2h ago / 7:06 PM EDTAnkle injury will sideline Patriots' running back HendersonRunning back TreVeyon Henderson (ankle injury) is the most notable player placed on the inactive list for tonight's game. He had four touchdown runs of 50-plus yards last season, which tied for most by a rookie in NFL history.df2h ago / 6:49 PM EDTJackson, Allen, Burrow lead early MVP picksTrysta Krick and Jay Croucher take a look at which NFL players are favorites to take home the MVP award ahead of the upcoming season.2h ago / 6:23 PM EDTOnly the third Super Bowl matchup in Week 1 historyNot that anyone is counting, but it's been 213 days since the Seahawks beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl played in Santa Clara, California. The NFL loves to create buzzy Week 1 matchups, but surprisingly a repeat of the Super Bowl has opened a season only two other times in league history:When Denver beat Carolina to end the 2015 season, then beat the Panthers to open the 2016 campaign;And when Kansas City beat Minnesota to win the Super Bowl in 1969, only to then lost to Minnesota in Week 1 of the 1970 season. 3h ago / 6:01 PM EDTAFC East is 'top heavy' with Bills and PatriotsChris Simms and Connor Rogers discuss which AFC East teams they think will find the most success during the upcoming NFL season.3h ago / 5:42 PM EDTA.J. Brown arrives for first Patriots gameBrown, who was acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason for a 2028 first-round draft pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick, will make his debut tonight against the Seahawks. Last season he had 1,003 yards receiving with seven touchdowns. 3h ago / 5:26 PM EDTSimms, Rogers make picksChris Simms and Connor Rogers break down Patriots-Seahawks, debating whether New England can establish the run against Seattle's front before revealing their NFL Kickoff Game predictions.3h ago / 5:14 PM EDTFirst game for new Seahawks ownershipShortly after Seattle's Super Bowl victory the team was formally put up for sale by Jody Allen, whose late brother, Paul, purchased the Seahawks in 1997 for $194 million. Team valuations have skyrocketed since, with new ownership group led by Vinod and Neeru Khosla purchasing the team for $9.6 billion. That deal was unanimously approved by NFL owners on Aug. 26. Vinod Khosla has long been interested in the NFL since immigrating from India to the U.S. He told reporters after the sale's approval that he has been a lifelong Steelers fan. He also purchased a 3.1% stake in the 49ers, a division rival of Seattle, back in 2025.4h ago / 4:50 PM EDTBuying a dip on Patriots' ceiling this season?Andrew Perloff and Paul Pabst assess the threat level for the teams in the AFC East, discussing how much Geno Smith elevates the Jets and how the Patriots' schedule affects their ceiling.4h ago / 4:36 PM EDTPlayers to watch in Patriots vs Seahawks openerAhead of the season opener, Paul Pabst and Andrew Perloff give their picks on who will come out on top between the Seahawks and Patriots.4h ago / 4:14 PM EDTKey storylines to watch Chris Simms and Mike Florio look back at the Super Bowl and unpack the key things to watch as the Patriots head to Seattle to take on the Seahawks in a Week 1 blockbuster.4h ago / 4:14 PM EDTPatriots face much harder schedule in 2026After playing last season's easiest schedule, based on opponents' win percentage — just 39.1%, the easiest schedule in 26 years, according to NBC Sports research — the Patriots are in for a much different challenge. They open with four consecutive games against teams that made the previous season's playoffs — Seattle, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Buffalo — and overall their 2026 schedule has been picked as sixth-toughest. The Patriots lost last season to just four teams: Seattle, Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Las Vegas. They will face those four teams all within this season's first five weeks. 4h ago / 4:14 PM EDTSimms, Rogers reveal Super Bowl picksChris Simms and Connor Rogers unveil their 2026 NFL playoff brackets and Super Bowl predictions. Andrew GreifAndrew Greif is a sports reporter for NBC News Digital.