Winning the Super Bowl means two things. Firstly, you reign the NFL, you are the champion. It also means you open up the next season, so the Seattle Seahawks are already on the lookout for their next opponent.
According to Adam Schefter, these are the possible rivals for the 2026 NFL season kick off:
- Patriots
- Rams
- 49ers
- Cardinals
- Chiefs
- Chargers
- Cowboys
- Giants
- Bears
Of course, it would be NFL irony to have a Super Bowl LX rematch to start off the new season, but it is possible. The Patriots could have their chance at revenge from the very first week of the next NFL campaign.
How have the Super Bowl winners fare in season openers?
The kickoff game began in 2004. Since then, the Super Bowl winners have a 16-5 record. However, since the start of the decade, the record is much less one-sided, since it’s a 3-2 record since 2020 for the Super Bowl winners.
The Seahawks won back in 2013, so they opened against the Packers the following year, and actually won the game. The ‘Legion of Boom‘ Seahawks dominated Green Bay en route to a 36-16 win. They will hope to rekindle that fire next season in Week 1.
Which could be the best options for the Seahawks?
Seattle is the Super Bowl champion, that means they should beat everyone. Still, Week 1 is always tricky, and now they have a target on their back. Looking at the options listed, there are a few teams they’d rather face to start the season than others.
The Seahawks will clearly want to get a better draw than all the tougher tests. For instance, teams like Patriots, Rams, and 49ers would be incredibly hard from the get-go. However, the Seahawks beat all these teams in the playoffs to win the Super Bowl. Then, teams like the Chargers, Bears, and Chiefs might not be the preferred options either. Hence, that leaves them with the Cardinals, Cowboys, and Giants. Out of this latter group, the Giants could be tough as they now have John Harbugh as HC.
