Preview for New England Patriots @ Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks will kick off the new NFL season with a Super Bowl rematch against the New England Patriots, just over seven months on from their victory over the same opposition that saw them lift the Lombardi Trophy for the second time.
Seattle’s second championship banner will be raised before kickoff at Lumen Field to mark their triumph in Super Bowl 60, a success Mike Macdonald’s team will have designs on emulating having kept the bulk of the roster in place.
There have been some key departures for Seattle, losing Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III, pass rusher Boye Mafe, cornerback Riq Woolen and versatile safety Coby Bryant.
Even with those departures in an offseason that saw their division rivals the Los Angeles Rams establish themselves as Super Bowl favourites with a series of blockbuster moves, the Seahawks remain a force to be reckoned with, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
The Seattle pass rush tormented Patriots quarterback Drake Maye back in February, and defensive tackle Jarran Reed had an ominous message for Maye and the rest of the league ahead of Week 1.
“I think just going into Year 3, we are just really more connected,” Reed said. “I think we are more focused than ever.
“A lot of people always try to bring up the Super Bowl and all that, but literally nobody talks about it. We don’t bring it up. We just worry about the day that we are in, the present that we’re in, and we just attack the day.
“I think we’re more hungry this year, too, which is surprising. We know what we have to do. I think everybody wants to play good ball. Everybody wants the operation to be well. We want our alignments, our assignments, how we take the ball, to be good on defense, how we play our style of defense. We just want to up everything we are doing.”
The Patriots invested in their offensive line this offseason in an effort to better protect Maye while giving him two new pass-catching weapons in the form of A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs who will give him more easy answers throwing the ball, though he will not have the services of running back TreVeyon Henderson, who is out with an ankle injury.
After seeing his offense overwhelmed by Wednesday’s opponents on the biggest stage, head coach Mike Vrabel is under no illusion as to the task faced by the men on the O-Line as they attempt to give Maye more time to keep the Patriots in the game.
“Every week is a big challenge, certainly a huge challenge this week. I think that they’re very, very talented, sound, play with great fundamentals,” Vrabel said in a press conference.
“They’re good with their games. They have a very good mix of youth and veteran players. [Byron] Murphy II, Leonard Williams, DeMarcus Lawrence, they’ve all done it at a high level.
“Whether they pressure or whether they game or they straight rush, they do a fantastic job of applying pressure. They’re excellent in the run game, they play with their hands, they play square. This will be a great challenge.”
Prediction for New England Patriots @ Seattle Seahawks
The Patriots have the weapons to make this a tighter affair than the Super Bowl, but it’s still difficult to see Maye and Co. overcoming the Seahawks’ defense on the road.
Prediction: New England Patriots 17 – 24 Seattle Seahawks
How to watch New England Patriots @ Seattle Seahawks
The New England Patriots-Seattle Seahawks matchup kicks off at 8:20pm ET (5:20pm PT/1:20am BST).
The game will be broadcast on NBC and its local affiliates, while it is also available to stream via Peacock and the NFL + subscription service.
In the UK, the game will be broadcast on Sky Sports and will also be available to stream via DAZN.
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