The 2026 NFL season gets underway with a blockbuster Super Bowl rematch as the New England Patriots travel to Lumen Field to face the defending champion Seattle Seahawks. It has been just seven months since Seattle defeated New England 29-13 in Super Bowl LX, and the Seahawks will raise their championship banner before attempting to begin their title defence with another victory over the Patriots.
Check out our NFL tips below, and why not sign up to a new betting site to place your bets this weekend!
NFL Week 1 New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks Betting Tips
10:20am AEST, Thursday September 10th
Seattle Seahawks
Seattle return to Lumen Field as defending champions after Mike Macdonald led the franchise to Super Bowl glory last season. Sam Darnold remains at quarterback following his remarkable career resurgence, while Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba headlines an excellent receiving group alongside Rashid Shaheed, Cooper Kupp and tight end A.J. Barner.
There have been changes in the backfield, with Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III departing for Kansas City and Zach Charbonnet unavailable to begin the season as he recovers from a torn ACL. First-round rookie Jadarian Price is expected to play an immediate role alongside George Holani. Defensively, Seattle still possesses the core that caused New England so many problems in February, led by Devon Witherspoon, Leonard Williams, Ernest Jones and Byron Murphy.
New England Patriots
New England made an enormous leap in Mike Vrabel's first season, winning 14 games and claiming the AFC Championship before falling short against Seattle in the Super Bowl. Drake Maye returns after finishing runner-up in the MVP voting, and the Patriots have given their young quarterback even more help by adding A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs to an offence that still features Rhamondre Stevenson and Hunter Henry.
Protecting Maye will be the major challenge on Wednesday night. Seattle sacked him six times in the Super Bowl, and New England has since strengthened its offensive line with Alijah Vera-Tucker while also adding first-round rookie Caleb Lomu. The Patriots are also dealing with some injury concerns ahead of Week 1, with running back TreVeyon Henderson and defensive tackle Christian Barmore among the players carrying question marks into the opener.
Prediction
There is plenty to like about the direction New England is heading, particularly with Maye entering another season surrounded by considerably more talent. However, this is a difficult place to begin the campaign. Seattle dominated the Patriots when these teams met in February and should again have an advantage in the trenches, especially if its defensive front can recreate some of the pressure it generated against Maye in the Super Bowl.
Lumen Field is one of the toughest road environments in football at the best of times, and the atmosphere should be amplified by Seattle unveiling its Super Bowl banner before kickoff. The Patriots should make this a much closer contest than February's 16-point defeat, but Seattle's defence, home-field advantage and continuity under Macdonald make the Seahawks appealing to cover the relatively small line.
Seahawks -3.5
$1.90 (2 Units)
Player Prop
George Holani Over 19.5 Rushing Yards
Seattle's reshaped running back room creates an opportunity for George Holani to clear a modest rushing total in the season opener. Kenneth Walker is no longer on the roster and Charbonnet will miss the start of the season, leaving first-round rookie Jadarian Price and Holani as the primary options. Seattle has indicated the pair are likely to share the workload early, and Holani has already shown he can contribute when called upon after stepping into a larger role late last season. With the Seahawks likely to lean on their running game and protect Price from carrying the entire workload in his NFL debut, Holani should see enough opportunities to surpass 19.5 rushing yards.
George Holani Over 19.5 Rush Yds
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
