The Seattle Seahawks already know where their Super Bowl defense will begin.
They are still waiting to learn who will be on the other sideline.
The Seahawks’ 2026 schedule release is nearly here, and the biggest question sits right at the top of the slate. Seattle is set to host the first game of the 2026 NFL season on Wednesday, September 9, at Lumen Field, but the league has not announced the opponent.
The schedule reveal will tell us which team gets the first shot at the reigning Super Bowl champions, and which storyline the NFL wants to showcase in its opening game.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported on May 7 that the NFL sent an email blast saying the schedule release “is almost here.” Florio also cited CNBC’s Alex Sherman reporting that the NFL plans to release the schedule on Wednesday, May 13, or Thursday, May 14.
For Seattle, the most interesting part may not be when the schedule drops. It is who the league sends to Lumen Field for Week 1.
Seahawks Have Multiple Week 1 Options With Real Appeal
The NFL has no shortage of attractive choices for Seattle’s opener.
The Seahawks’ 2026 home opponents are the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago Bears and New England Patriots, according to the team’s official list of future opponents.
That group gives the league several different ways to frame the first game of the season.
A Patriots matchup would bring the cleanest Super Bowl angle. A Super Bowl rematch is the kind of simple, national hook the NFL often likes for a showcase window.
The Chiefs would bring Patrick Mahomes, if he’s healthy by Week 1, and one of the league’s most familiar prime-time draws to Seattle. The Cowboys would offer another ratings-friendly opponent with a massive fan base. The 49ers would give the opener an NFC West rivalry flavor.
But the Rams may be the most interesting option from a pure Seahawks standpoint.
Rams-Seahawks Is Already Being Framed as a Must-Watch Game
Before the full 2026 schedule was even announced, NFL.com ranked Rams at Seahawks as the No. 1 game to watch on the upcoming slate.
That says plenty about how the league’s own site views the rivalry right now.
Edholm pointed to Seattle and Los Angeles playing three dramatic games in 2025, including two at Lumen Field. He also noted that Seattle’s Week 16 comeback win over the Rams was ranked as the NFL’s No. 1 game of 2025, and that the Seahawks later eliminated Los Angeles during their postseason run.
That is the type of recent history that could make Rams-Seahawks appealing for Week 1. It would not have the Super Bowl rematch label, but it would immediately reopen one of the most important rivalries in the NFC.
There is also a football reason it matters. If the Rams are still viewed as Seattle’s biggest NFC West threat, the date of that matchup could shape the division race. An opener would turn the Seahawks’ first game as defending champions into an immediate test against a familiar opponent that already knows how thin the margins can be.
Patriots Rematch Would Give Seahawks the Cleanest Opening Storyline
The Patriots remain the obvious candidate if the NFL wants the opener to be about the Super Bowl.
That would be easy for fans to understand and easy for the broadcast to sell. Seattle begins its title defense against the team it just beat to win the Lombardi Trophy. New England gets an immediate chance to answer. The Seahawks get their championship celebration and then have to reset against the same opponent that watched them celebrate in February.
It would also give Seattle a useful measuring stick right away.
The first game after a Super Bowl season can be strange. There is the banner, the ceremony, the national attention and the emotional weight of turning the page. A rematch against New England would make it clear from the opening night that the 2026 Seahawks are not being eased back into the season.
Still, the NFL does not have to go that route. The schedule release could reveal a different priority, whether that means leaning into the Rams rivalry, putting the Chiefs in a marquee road spot or using the Cowboys’ national profile.
That is what makes the Week 1 mystery worth watching.
Seahawks’ Full Schedule Will Answer More Than the Opener
The Week 1 opponent is the headline question, but it is not the only thing Seahawks fans should be watching once the full schedule arrives.
Seattle’s road opponents are the Cardinals, Rams, 49ers, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers. The order of those trips will matter, especially for a team trying to manage the physical burden that comes with a title defense.
Late-season division games could decide the NFC West. Cross-country trips to Philadelphia, Washington and Carolina could create rest and travel challenges. The placement of games against the Chiefs, Cowboys, Patriots and Rams will help determine how many national windows Seattle receives as the defending champion.
But everything starts with Week 1.
The Seahawks know they will open at Lumen Field. They know the first game of the 2026 NFL season will run through Seattle. They know the schedule release is close.
Now they are waiting on the one answer that will define the beginning of their Super Bowl defense: who gets the first shot?
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