According to Barstool Sports' Kirk Minihane, the New England Patriots will take on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 of the 2026-27 NFL season, just seven months after suffering a brutal 29-13 loss to them in Super Bowl LX.
The Patriots will look to bounce back from tough Super Bowl LX loss
To have the Patriots face the Seahawks during Week 1 next season is brutal. Seattle absolutely mollywhopped them in the Super Bowl last season (the final score really doesn't do it justice: their offensive line looked awful and gave up six sacks, Drake Maye was clearly limited and hurt, and there was never a moment at any point in the game where it seemed like they actually had a chance), and as it stands, it's fair to assume the Patriots are going to take a big step back next season.
Of course, nobody expected New England to be in the Super Bowl at all last season, so the fact that it even happened at all was a miracle. However, the loss itself was so bad and brutal that it's fair to wonder, in a weird way, if the team almost would've been better off not even making it in the first place.
(For the record, I would have much preferred a Super Bowl appearance, but just keep this in mind: this is a very young team with a lot to look forward to. If they had lost to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, for example, it would have been way less devastating, given that the game was basically 50-50 because of the weather. Had New England lost, it would've been one of those, "Well, that hurt, but it was at least a close game in a snow bowl. We can come back from this, no problem," types of things.)
Regardless, what happened happened, and the Patriots will look to build on their mostly successful campaign for next season.
Super Bowl LX loss shed light on important Patriots reality
The Patriots have talent, but they're not Super Bowl contenders yet. They had a lot going for them last year (namely, their easy schedule), and it seems highly unlikely that they will be able to make another deep run like this next season.
There's a lot to like about the roster (especially if they do end up acquiring A.J. Brown), but it's fair to say that last season was more of an anomaly, not the expectation moving forward... at least right now.
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