New England Patriots @ Seattle Seahawks preview
The Seattle Seahawks will start the new one NFL season with a Super Bowl rematch against the New England Patriotsjust over seven months since the 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 Super Bowl 60 triumph, a feat Mike Macdonald’s team will be designing to emulate having kept most 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 outings in an offseason in which their division rivals, the Los Angeles Rams, established themselves as Super Bowl favorites with a series of blockbuster moves, the Seahawks remain a force to be reckoned with, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Seattle’s pass rush tormented Patriots quarterback Drake Maye 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 three, we’re 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 we’re in, the present we’re in and just attack the day.
“I think we’re more hungry this year, too, which is amazing. We know what we have to do. I think everybody wants to play good ball. Everybody wants the operation to go well. We want our lineups, our assignments, how we catch the ball, be good on defense, how we play our style of defense. We just want to get better at everything we’re 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 AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs who will give him easier answers throwing the ball, though he will be without the services of running back TreVeyon Henderson, who is out with an ankle injury.
After watching his offense get overwhelmed by Wednesday’s opponents on the biggest stage, head coach Mike Vrabel is under no illusions about the task facing the men on the O-Line as they try to give Maye more time to keep the Patriots in the game.
“Every week is a big challenge, definitely a big challenge this week. I think they’re very, very talented, they sleep, they play with great fundamentals,” Vrabel said in a news conference.
“They’re good with their games. They have a really 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 press or play or play straight rush, they do a fantastic job of applying pressure. They’re great in the run game, they play with their hands, they play square. That’s going to be a big 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 hard to see Maye and Co. overcoming the Seahawks’ defense on the road.
Prediction: New England Patriots 17 – 24 Seattle Seahawks
How to watch the New England Patriots @ Seattle Seahawks
The New England Patriots-Seattle Seahawks game 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 through 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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