| Kickoff | Wednesday, September 9, 8:20 p.m. ET / 5:20 p.m. PT |
| TV | NBC |
| Streaming | Peacock |
| Spanish | Telemundo and Universo |
| Pregame | 7 p.m. ET, NFL Kickoff Special on NBC and Peacock, Maria Taylor hosting with Mike Tomlin, Jason Garrett, Devin McCourty and Mike Florio |
| Announcers | Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark and Kaylee Hartung on the sidelines, Terry McAulay on rules |
| Venue | Lumen Field, Seattle |
| Radio | Seattle Sports 710 AM and KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM in the Seattle market |
| Line | Seahawks -3, moneyline Seattle -120 and New England +100 |
A Super Bowl Rematch to Open the Season
This is only the second time the NFL has opened a season with a rematch of the previous Super Bowl. The first was 2016, when the defending champion Broncos beat Carolina 21-20. It is also only the second Wednesday opener of the Super Bowl era. The other came in 2012, when Dallas visited the Giants on a Wednesday to avoid a conflict with the Democratic National Convention.
Both teams finished 14-3 last season. Seattle took the NFC’s No. 1 seed, scored 483 points, third in the league, and allowed 292, fewer than anyone. New England won the AFC East and took the No. 2 seed, scoring 490 points, second in the league, while allowing 320, fourth best.
Neither roster is the one that played in February. Seattle lost Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, leaving Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba to carry an offense that has to be rebuilt around them. Mike Macdonald still has the defense that led the league. New England had a busy offseason of its own, with A.J. Brown joining Drake Maye in Mike Vrabel’s second year, after Vrabel took the Patriots from 4-13 to 14-3.
The Line
Seattle opened as a 4.5-point home favorite back in May and the number has come down to 3, with the Seahawks at -120 on the moneyline and the Patriots at even money. That is a meaningful move toward New England for a game where the home team is the defending champion and led the league in scoring defense.
The Matchup
Seattle 24, New England 20. The Seahawks win at home, but the number says this is close to a coin flip once you account for the three points, and the market has been drifting toward New England for months. Take the Seahawks on the moneyline and the Patriots against the spread.
How to Watch Without Cable
Peacock carries the game and is the cheapest route, since it streams NBC’s coverage without a TV package. An antenna also works, because NBC is a broadcast network and the game is not on cable. YouTube TV, Hulu Live, Fubo and DirecTV Stream all carry NBC as well, and each offers a free trial.
Related
NFL Week 1 schedule · NFL Week 1 odds · Seahawks schedule · Patriots schedule · Super Bowl odds · NFL MVP odds · NFL games today
The Bottom Line
Seattle 13, New England 10. The Seahawks won the rematch by three after winning the Super Bowl by 16, the favorite covered nothing because the number was exactly 3, and both teams leave with a quarterback question: Darnold’s hip in Seattle and Maye’s three fourth quarter interceptions in New England. Next up, Seattle plays at Arizona in Week 2 and the Patriots host the Steelers on Sunday, September 20.