Nfl Opening Game Expert Picks, Predictions: Patriots Vs. Seahawks

The 2026 NFL season kicks off on a…. Wednesday?

Okay, that doesn’t really feel right, but I’m not going to complain about the start of football. I’ve waited too long, and I am an absolute NFL junkie. The league has me in the palm of its hand, and I’ll subscribe to whatever streaming service to get my fix.

The Detroit Lions may have a few more days before their season begins, but a rematch of the Super Bowl? I’ll watch that any day of the week on any device. If this game was being played on Zillow Plus, you better believe I’d subscribe.

Anyways, our staff has made some picks for this game, and I will reveal them below. But before I do, I wanted to plug something we’ve got going on SB Nation. For the big, primetime games around the league, we’re going to have a live chat across the entire platform. For this game, you better believe I’m going to be part of it, chatting with other NFL fans. Here’s how you can join our NFL kickoff Wednesday live chat:

• Download the SB Nation app
  • Apple Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sb-nation/id6789240983
  • Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sbnation.app
• Make sure to join the “NFL” community (click Communities, then start typing “NFL” in the search bar)
• Then, just before kickoff, fire up the SB Nation app, and head to the home page. At the top of the page should be a link to “join chat” for the Patriots vs. Seahawks game. And there you can chat with NFL fans across the SB Nation community!

As for the game, the Super Bowl-defending Seattle Seahawks are 3.5-point home favorites over the New England Patriots. And essentially, our staff are all in the belief that the Seahawks will walk away as the winner of the 2026 NFL season opener.

Here’s a look at our official predictions for the game!