The Patriots' 2026 season will begin against the same opponent they faced in their final game of the 2025 campaign.
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels firmly believes the lessons he and the rest of the staff learned from their Super Bowl LX defeat will benefit them in Wednesday's season opener against Seattle.
"I didn't do a good enough job. Point it at me. They 'out-everythinged' us in the game," McDaniels said, via ESPN. "We have a lot of things we learned. But I think this will be a different game, I think it will be a new game. It's a new year. We have some different players. They have a few guys that are new. They certainly found some opportunities last year, and hopefully we've done a good job trying to limit those Wednesday night."
February's showdown in the Bay Area was billed as a battle between an explosive Patriots offense versus a stifling Seahawks defense. In the end, only the latter showed up. Seattle held New England's third-ranked offense scoreless through three quarters and didn't surrender a single point until the Seahawks had already built a 19-point lead, rendering McDaniels' unit all but useless. MVP finalist Drake Maye appeared overmatched by Mike Macdonald's aggressive defense, and by the time the Patriots' offense found some success, it was too late.
McDaniels has reason to feel confident about his team's chances entering Wednesday. Left tackle Will Campbell -- who struggled mightily in the Super Bowl while playing with an ailing knee -- is healthy and has shown improvement during preseason preparation. Neither team has a book on each other either, offering the advantage of unpredictability for both squads.
It's why we see some surprising results in Week 1 that often don't serve as reliable predictors of season-long success. And it's why McDaniels believes his team might have an edge.
"Opening day is completely different than every other week in the year because you're hunting and pecking for, 'How do you want to play the game?' as the game is unfolding," McDaniels said. "They're going to tell us some things in the first quarter that maybe we don't know."
As is always the case, Wednesday night's game will be a battle of adjustments. McDaniels, a well-seasoned play-caller, will need to lean on his experience and expertise to guide Maye and the rest of the Patriots offense -- which also includes new addition A.J. Brown -- to a level of success they never tasted in Super Bowl LX.
If he can do that, McDaniels' prediction could come true. Given Seattle's defensive excellence, it will likely be essential.
