EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe Seattle Seahawks will begin defense of their Super Bowl title against the team they defeated to win it.Seven months after downing the Patriots to capture Super Bowl LX, the Seahawks will welcome Drake Maye and New England to Lumen Field for the 2026 NFL season opener on Sept. 9.The matchup was among many notables unveiled Thursday night as NFL teams posted their schedules on social media followed by the league's full announcement of its 272-game slate.It will be the third time the teams in the previous season's Super Bowl will meet in Week 1 of the next season and the second time they'll do so in the opener. The only other time came in 2016, when the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers after defeating them in Super Bowl 50 earlier in the year.Seattle will look to do the same to coach Mike Vrabel and New England, and history is on its side. Since 2004, 21 defending champs have played in the opener and have gone 16-5.It will mark the 12th Super Bowl rematch in the following season and the fourth straight season to feature one. The defending champions have an 8-3 record in the previous meetings."Yes, it was definitely a key data point for us," NFL executive Hans Schroeder told The Associated Press. "We saw what a big draw that was and so we just thought it was really fun. I think it's been a decade since we did Denver and Carolina in Super Bowl 50 and came back in Week 1 the next year. We thought it was a fun way to start the season again with New England in Seattle, coming off that Super Bowl, certainly a ton to play for. Let our fans see if they play again."Vrabel, the reigning AP Coach of the Year, will coach his first game since he missed Day 3 of the NFL draft to seek counseling after photos of him and football reporter Dianna Russini at an Arizona resort were publicized. Russini later resigned from The Athletic.The rare Wednesday night opener is to accommodate the first regular-season game in Melbourne, Australia. That contest between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers takes place Sept. 10 for U.S. audiences and will be one of a record nine international games this season, which were announced Wednesday.The last time the NFL season started on a Wednesday was in 2012 to accommodate then-President Barack Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention the following day.Among the other schedule highlights unveiled Thursday night: Kenneth Walker, the MVP of the Seahawks' Super Bowl win who joined the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent this offseason, will return to Seattle for a "Sunday Night Football" matchup Oct. 25. Malik Willis, the new starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, is set to visit his former team, the Green Bay Packers, on Dec. 20. The Dolphins also visit the Broncos on Dec. 6, a matchup that will pit them against former star receiver Jaylen Waddle, whom they traded to Denver this offseason. Waddle isn't the only key receiver who switched teams this offseason and will face their former club in 2026. DJ Moore, a March acquisition of the Josh Allen-led Buffalo Bills, will welcome the Chicago Bears to the newly constructed Highmark Stadium on Dec. 19. And after trading Michael Pittman Jr. to the Steelers in March, the Indianapolis Colts will visit Pittman and Pittsburgh on Oct. 11. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 pick in last month's NFL draft, could make his NFL debut in Week 1 as the Las Vegas Raiders host Miami on Sept. 13. If not, it likely will be veteran QB Kirk Cousins, who joined the Raiders this offseason. Trey Hendrickson, who signed with the Baltimore Ravens after their failed Maxx Crosby trade, will return to Cincinnati to face the Bengals on Dec. 31. The teams also meet Oct. 21 in Baltimore.The "Monday Night Football" schedule on ESPN features every 2025-26 division winner and playoff team. Among the highlights: A Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles NFC East showdown will be played in Week 7; two games featuring the Seahawks -- against the Bears in Week 8 and the Cowboys in Week 13; an expected Maye vs. Patrick Mahomes duel between the Patriots and Chiefs in Week 15 in what would be the first career matchup between the two star QBs.Seattle will play six primetime games, their most in a season since 2000. One of them will be at home against the Rams in Week 16; the teams -- which met in the NFC Championship Game in January -- play twice in the final three weeks of 2026.The NFL already had announced two of the Thanksgiving Day games: Cowboys-Eagles at 4:30 p.m. and the Detroit Lions-Bears at 1 p.m. The third will see the Chiefs visit the Bills at 8:20 p.m. ET.A Christmas Day tripleheader will feature the Packers-Bears, Bills-Broncos and Rams-Seahawks.Several other marquee 2026 games were announced earlier this week, including the first "Sunday Night Football" matchup between the John Harbaugh-led New York Giants against the Cowboys on Sept. 13, and the first "Monday Night Football" game between the Broncos and Chiefs on Sept. 14.The final day of the regular season will be Jan. 10, 2027. Just over a month later will be Super Bowl LXI, set to take place Feb. 14 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California (ESPN/ABC).
