Mike Vrabel Previews Patriots' Mindset Heading into Season Opener vs. Seahawks

FOXBORO — The defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks have been in the national spotlight all offseason, and their appearance on HBO's Hard Knocks certainly helped with that. It's given everyone an inside look at the Seahawks' roster heading into the regular season, and it's also given the team they beat in the Super Bowl a little bit of information.

"I think we go through it," New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said this week. "It's not much that, it's not like you get the operation. I'm sure they have content and they can control the content. But we take a look at it just to see what's going on."

The Patriots — set to kick off the NFL season against the team they just faced in Super Bowl LX — have had this date circled on their calendars for months. It's just the second time since the 1970 NFL merger that a Super Bowl rematch will kick off the following season, and the first one since Carolina/Denver in 2016.

It's given the Patriots some bulletin board material all summer, but they aren't really focused on all that. Vrabel, who was on three Super Bowl-winning teams that opened up the season under the primetime lights, doesn't think it's going to be anything different than another game.

"Obviously that means that you either had a really good season or the people that you're playing had a really good season," he said. "There'll be a lot of energy there. We'll have to be ready for the environment and we'll have to be really sound in our operation and everything that we do. The magnitude of it is always important.

"There's not that many games. Every game is critically important. It'll be a great test and a great challenge for us to be able to go on the road and do that early in the season."

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner (88) greets New England Patriots offensive tackle Morgan Moses (76) following Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Patriots aren't solely focused on the Seahawks. Sure, they've known they'll be the first opponent since the schedule was released back in May. But it's a long season, and Vrabel knows that installing just Seahawks prep all spring/summer could backfire come Week 2.

Patriots Tried (A Little Bit) To Install Seahawks Prep

So they've sprinkled stuff in, but mainly focused on fundamentals. That's what helped last year's group succeed, and it should bode well for the 2026 group.

"I think you have to be careful how much you do early on. I don't know how much gets retained, but you try to focus on fundamentals, our offense and what it is that we're trying to do in all three phases," Vrabel said. "Then there were times during training camp or times last week that we tried to do stuff. But I think you just have to be careful. It's the first game.

Seattle is no pushover, even after losing running Kenneth Walker (free agency) and Jake Bobe (torn ACL). This group, led by head coach Mike Macdonald, quarterback Sam Darnold and a vaunted defensive front, could easily open up the year with a win.

"They got a new coordinator, and some things will be different. I'm sure they'll have some plays that are similar that they like and I think their defensive structure may be the same, it may not. It's a good defense."

It'll take more than Hard Knocks to figure them out, but the Patriots' goal this week is to try ... and not focus too hard on last year's result.

Make sure you bookmark New England Patriots on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!

Add us as a preferred source on Google