The Seahawks come into Week 1 looking familiar to the Patriots on the surface, but a lot has shifted since the last time these teams were game-planned against each other. That’s why the conversation around Seattle’s opener isn’t really about replaying the Super Bowl. It’s about what carries over, what gets adjusted, and how much the new pieces change the feel of this matchup.
On defense, Mike Macdonald is expected to stay true to the broad outlines of what Seattle wants to do. The wrinkle is in the details. There should be some tweaks, and the Seahawks may lean a little more vanilla on that side of the ball to avoid the kind of communication errors that can spring a big play and swing the game.
Offensively, all eyes are on Brian Fleury, who is taking over full-time play-calling duties for the first time in his coaching career. That alone makes this one worth watching closely.
Seattle’s preseason total of 32 points didn’t exactly calm anyone down, even if most of the starters barely played and preseason results rarely tell the whole story. The bigger question is what the offense looks like now that Fleury is running it instead of Klint Kubiak.
The expectation is that the structure won’t change dramatically, but there will be differences. The run game could be where those show up most clearly. Kubiak adjusted his usual wide-zone lean when Kenneth Walker was on the field, dialing up more gap runs for him than any other back he coached during his three seasons as an offensive coordinator in Minnesota, New Orleans and Seattle.
That matters because Kubiak’s offense produced 28.4 points per game, and Seattle clearly got plenty out of the way the whole operation fit together. Fleury is walking into a tough assignment if the goal is to match that immediately. Even a small dip wouldn’t be a shock.
Personnel losses are another big part of the story. The secondary could feel the biggest hit after the offseason departures of Riq Woolen and Coby Bryant. Replacing thirty percent of the snaps played in the secondary last season is not a simple task, and early communication issues wouldn’t be surprising as the 2026 group learns to function together.
There are also questions at other spots after the departures of Kenneth Walker III and Boye Mafe. Walker’s exit to the Kansas City Chiefs shifts the conversation on offense, while the loss of Mafe adds another layer to what Seattle is trying to replace.
The cornerback rotation could get especially messy on game day if Nick Emmanwori is not healthy enough to handle the slot in nickel. Seattle’s base defense uses five defensive backs, with the personnel changing based on whether the team wants three corners or three safeties on the field. But that plan has been complicated by injuries.
Ty Okada, who started eleven games in 2025 and filled in at different times for Emmanwori, Bryant and Julian Love, has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. Bud Clark is on injured reserve and done for the year.
Julian Neal, a rookie third-round cornerback, missed much of training camp with an injury and likely has not practiced enough to be a major factor yet. With that in mind, Seattle may need to tap its practice squad before Wednesday’s opener.
D’Anthony Bell, known mostly for special teams, did start two games for the Seahawks in 2025, and 2021 All-Pro Trevon Diggs is trying to get his career back on track after several injury-filled seasons.
Then there’s Sam Darnold, who remains one of the biggest variables in the entire equation. He has gotten better in each of his recent seasons, but the doubts aren’t going away anytime soon, especially with games like his stinker against the Los Angeles Rams in the 2024 postseason and the first matchup with the Rams in 2025 still hanging out there.
Fleury will be the seventh different offensive coordinator Darnold has played for in the last seven seasons, which is a pretty good reminder of how much change he’s had to absorb. Whether Fleury can get the same kind of production out of him that Klint Kubiak and Kevin O’Connell have over the past couple of years is one of the biggest questions hanging over Seattle entering Week 1.
In Other News...
Gronkowskis Old Aaron Hernandez Story Has Patriots Fans Reeling
Rob Gronkowskis recollection of Aaron Hernandez has put a darker chapter of Patriots history back in the spotlight. Hernandez was once a major part of New Englands offense, but his career ended in tragedy after his 2015 murder conviction and his death by suicide in prison in 2017. Even years later, anything tied to his time in Foxborough still carries weight, especially for fans who remember how promising that partnership once looked on the field.
Gronkowski described Hernandezs behavior in team meetings as unpredictable, a detail that fits the uneasy way people often talk about those final Patriots seasons now. Hernandez had also been acquitted in a separate double homicide case before his death, adding another layer to an already complicated and unsettling story. It is the kind of old recollection that does not just revive memories of a former teammate, it reopens questions about how much was hiding in plain sight. [Read more 🡒]
Gronkowski Revived A Disturbing Patriots Story Fans Wont Forget
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Gronkowskis remarks centered on Hernandezs unpredictable behavior during their time together, including one moment in team meetings that stood out even then. For Patriots fans, the uneasy part is not just the criminal case itself, but how much of the warning sign chatter around Hernandez was happening before everything unraveled, leaving a memory the franchise has never quite been able to shake. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Backfield Just Got More Interesting Behind Rhamondre Stevenson
The Patriots backfield already had a clear headliner in Rhamondre Stevenson, but the Week 1 picture is changing around him. Treveyon Henderson is sidelined with an ankle injury, which opens the door for Corey Kiner to see a bigger role right away and gives New England a little more to sort through behind its starter.
It also adds another layer to a group that was already worth watching because of how much responsibility Stevenson is expected to carry. With Henderson unavailable, the early snaps and touches behind him become more important, and the Patriots will have a chance to see whether Kiner can turn this opening into something more lasting once the season gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]