The 2026 NFL regular season kicks off on September 9 with a scintillating opening week of NFL action.
The season opener is a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the world champion Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle.
Below are all the details for this exciting season opener, and it begins on an unusual day, a Wednesday, to avoid scheduling conflicts in a packed opening week.
2026 NFL Regular Season Kickoff Info
This marks a rare Wednesday season opener for the NFL, indeed the first in well over a decade.
Date, Time, and Venue: The season opener is slated for Wednesday, September 9, at 8.20 PM ET (5.20 PM PT) at Lumen Field in Seattle, WA.
Broadcast Schedule: TV: NBC. Streaming: Peacock and NFL+.
Key Matchup Details:Â The Seahawks will unfurl their Super Bowl champions banner before kickoff, in front of the Patriots, after defeating them 29-13 in last season’s lopsided Super Bowl.
The Pats were 1-1-1 in their three preseason games. The Seahawks finished 0-2-1 in preseason.
Major injury news: the Patriots’ electric young running back TreVeyon Henderson is probable, which is good news for their offense. Meanwhile, on defense, Harold Landry III is questionable, having spent training camp on the PUP list.
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The Super Bowl champs will be without running back Zach Charbonnet for the first four weeks of the NFL season, having been placed on the PUP list. This is far from ideal for the Seahawks, as they also lost their star back and Super Bowl MVP, Kenneth Walker III, to the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency.
Rookie Jadarian Price will now handle the majority of backfield duties. On defense, safety Nick Emmanwori is questionable.
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Nevertheless, the home team is still a slight favorite to defeat the Patriots.
The NFL is really kicking off the season with Patriots vs Seahawks on Wednesday night…
Then Niners vs Rams on Thursday night…
Then Cowboys vs Giants on Sunday night…
Then Broncos vs Chiefs on Monday Night.
Oh my goodness.
— Sam Block (@theblockspot) September 1, 2026
This game begins a packed opening-week schedule for the NFL. Several marquee matchups to whet your appetite: After Wednesday’s opener, Thursday features the San Francisco 49ers and early Super Bowl favorites LA Rams.
Then on Sunday night, the famous old NFC East rivalry kicks off between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants. If that isn’t enough for you, the Denver Broncos take on the Chiefs on Monday Night Football in a titanic battle.
