What the Patriots are saying about Super Bowl rematch vs. Seattle

the Patriots The 2026 season will open with a Wednesday night showdown on the West Coast.

Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III has since moved on, signing with Kansas City in the offseason, but there is still excitement for the matchup.

“I was excited, man,” safety Craig Woodson said. “Obviously I’m excited for every game on the schedule, but the first week is going to be good. What happened last year is what happened last year but it’s time to take advantage of the opportunity we have.”

Seattle beat the Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX last February. Cornerback Marcus Jones said the team is determined to achieve a different result this time.

“We put in a lot of work, you get to where you want to be and we didn’t get the job done,” Jones said. “We all understand that, but we know our potential and we know how far we can go. We have a lot of players on the team who have been in those situations, so we understand that we don’t want that to happen again, and it’s a long way to get to Week 1.”

Special teams recruit Brenden Schooler called the rematch a great opportunity to show off the work they’ve done this season.

“I think you always have a chip on your shoulder when you go up against someone you lost the year before,” Schooler said. “I’m just treating it like it’s just another game, I’m going to go out there and be as calm as I was in the Super Bowl when we played them. Nothing has really changed except for the history in which we play each other and the position in which we play each other.”

There are just under four months left between now and the September 3 game. OPAs start next week, training camp is coming, and they have a full preseason left to prepare.

“I feel like at the end of the day, this is a new year,” Jones said. “I’m happy to hear the timeline aside from the fact that we’re getting closer to what we’d love to be a part of, but at the end of the day we’re not looking too far ahead.

“It’s a Super Bowl rematch at the end of the day but we’ve got to control what we can control and there’s a lot of things to install and build during the preseason and everything, but we’re excited for Week 1.”

Khari A. Thompson

Sports reporter

Khary Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khary covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.