By admin 
Football is back.
Starting tonight and running through Super Bowl LXI on Feb. 14, we’ll have real-life, NFL football on our screens every single week.
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Speaking of Super Bowls, the 2026 NFL season kicks off Wednesday night with a rematch between the Seahawks and Patriots. Seattle, as we know, took down New England 29–13. In the process, quarterback Sam Darnold got the NFL draft-bust monkey off his back, Mike Macdonald cemented his status as one of the best young coaches, and the Seahawks captured their second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.
The Patriots, too, showed that they were for real last season behind an MVP-caliber year from quarterback Drake Maye and a 10-win turnaround led by coach Mike Vrabel. New England won the AFC East for the first time since 2019, the conference for the first time since ’18 and added to their NFL record of 12 Super Bowl appearances.
Here are three bold predictions for Wednesday night’s matchup.
After signing a record extension, Christian Gonzalez will hold Jaxon Smith-Njigba to less than 100 receiving yards
Christian Gonzalez finally cashed in this week after a contentious, months-long contract negotiation, agreeing to a four-year, $135 million extension with the Patriots just days before their season opener. The pact makes him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history in terms of total contract value and average per year ($33.75 million).
With the ink now dry, Gonzalez can fully focus on football-something he’s tried to do all summer-and that’s exactly what he’ll do on Wednesday night.
While playing the majority of his snaps across from reigning Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, I’m predicting Gonzalez will hold the star receiver to fewer than 100 yards receiving. The 2024 second-team All-Pro and ’25 Pro Bowler won the previous battle-helping New England’s defense hold JSN to four catches for 27 yards on 10 targets in the Super Bowl-and I expect him to do so again against Seattle.
Jadarian Price will rush for 100-plus yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut
Seattle running back Kenneth Walker III and Super Bowl LX MVP walked away in free agency, signing a three-year, $43.05 million deal with the Chiefs. In response, the Seahawks drafted Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price, who didn’t play a single snap in the preseason, an indicator that he’ll begin the 2026 campaign as their starting running back. Veteran Zach Charbonnet, meanwhile, will miss at least the first four weeks of the season on PUP after tearing his ACL during the playoffs.
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It’s fair to expect Price to find immediate success against this Patriots unit. New England allowed Walker to rush for 135 yards on 27 carries in the Super Bowl-good for 5.0 yards per attempt-and struggled to stop the run during joint practices with the Colts and Eagles this preseason.
Price will take advantage of this favorable matchup, as well as the opportunity to be Seattle’s bell-cow back ahead of George Holani and Emanuel Wilson, and rush for 100-plus yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut.
The Seahawks will beat the Patriots by two scores, becoming the third straight reigning champion to win the NFL Kickoff Game
This is a tough spot for the Patriots. While the top end of their team features Maye, Gonzalez, A.J. Brown and Milton Williams, their depth remains a concern. Just ask Vrabel, who admitted as much after New England’s exhibition win over Philadelphia last month.
On the flip side, the Seahawks will raise their second championship banner before taking the field at what will undoubtedly be an ear-piercingly loud Lumen Field. With one of the more loaded rosters in all of football, I’m predicting Seattle wins, 28–17, avoiding a Super Bowl hangover to open its title defense with a statement victory.
MORE NFL FROM SPORTS ILLLUSTRATED
- 2026 NFL Season Predictions: Super Bowl, Playoffs and Award Winners From the MMQB Staff
- Sam Darnold’s New World and Why He’s No Longer a Journeyman
- The Baker Mayfield Extension Has Destroyed the Middle-Class NFL QB Contract
- Albert Breer’s Notes: Why Both Sides Won With Christian Gonzalez’s Contract
- Week 1 NFL Injury Tracker: TreVeyon Henderson Out vs. Seahawks
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Patriots vs. Seahawks: Three Bold Predictions for Wednesday’s Season-Opening Super Bowl LX Rematch.
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This story was originally published September 9, 2026 at 3:08 AM.