Ranking Potential Opponents For The Seahawks In 2026 Season Opener

The Seahawks may have just won the Super Bowl, but part of the focus of the fanbase can not help but be drawn to next season. After all, part of winning a championship is defending it the following year. Even if you don’t repeat, you want to make it clear that you’re a great team worthy of respect and that the title you won wasn’t a mistake.

We’re a long way away from week one, but only about three months away from the schedule reveal. We also know the list of opponents, broken up by home and away. So, let’s hash out the best possible week one opponents for the Seattle Seahawks as they begin their title defense. First, let’s eliminate some possibilities.

Teams with high 2026 expectations like the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles make sense, but those will be road games. While the Baltimore Ravens opened on the road after winning it all in 2013, that was due to a scheduling conflict, not by choice. So scratch those off. The Las Vegas Raiders with new coach Klint Kubiak are out for the same reason.

Under normal circumstances, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers would be near the top of the list, both division rivals who had strong 2025 seasons before losing to the Seahawks in the playoffs. However, it is currently believed that those two teams will play each other in week one in Melbourne, Australia, which would eliminate them. Therefore…

7: New York Giants

Despite some hope coming in the form of new head coach John Harbaugh, it’s hard to imagine the New York Giants being a good team in 2026. There’s a decent foundation of talent, but even if it comes together, you wouldn’t expect it to be ready to go in week one. There’s also not really a rivalry here, so I’d say this one is pretty unappealing.

6: Arizona Cardinals

A rivalry, but one that currently lacks sauce. The Seahawks have beaten the Cardinals nine straight times, and Arizona is coming off a terrible season and is sitting on a pretty short list of solid blue chippers on the roster. They might be stuck with Kyler Murray at quarterback despite clearly being done with him, which suggests a throwaway season. Not much to like.

Don't sleep on Dak and the high-octane Dallas offense giving Seattle a good matchup in week one. — USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) looks to pass during the second quarter against the New York Giants. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

5: Kansas City Chiefs

Normally, this would be a prime candidate, but Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL near the end of the 2025 season, so the odds of him being back for week one are pretty small. I expect the Chiefs to sign a capable veteran to hold things together until Patrick gets back (Derek Carr? Geno Smith?), but none of the options will be good enough to make this a compelling game.

4: Los Angeles Chargers

Assuming decent health, the Chargers should be a good team in 2026 (although the loss of Jesse Minter looms large). And there is an old AFC West rivalry here, if anyone even really thinks about that kind of thing anymore. But ultimately, I don’t think there’s enough panache to create a good season opening matchup here.

3: New England Patriots

I understand why some would be compelled to rank this one at number one, but I think this one is better off saved for later in the season. There may be something of a rivalry here, but not enough of one to justify effectively back-to-back matchups. I’m also not convinced the Patriots will be an especially good team in 2026 with a much tougher schedule.

2: Dallas Cowboys

The massive media pull of the Cowboys franchise makes this a top contender in my view, even though Dallas has missed the playoffs two straight seasons. I don’t think they’ll be much better in 2026, but they’ll have one of the league’s best offenses as long as they retain George Pickens, and are going to surprise some teams just on the back of that.

1: Chicago Bears

The obvious up-and-coming contenders in the NFC after a playoff win under rookie coach Ben Johnson and sophomore QB Caleb Williams. They were actually a play away from derailing the Rams-Seahawks NFC Championship game that seemed pre-ordained for most of the season, and they have the resources to fix the defense this offseason.

The main holdup would be the lack of a true rivalry, but I don’t think it’ll be hard to sell the defending champs against one of the top risers in the conference. Mike Macdonald against Ben Johnson alone should drive a strong narrative. With the good division rivals seemingly off the table, they’re my favorite potential opponent for the season opener.

The Bears are a logical candidate for long-term threat to Seattle's NFC dominance. — Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) runs with the ball against Los Angeles Rams cornerback Darious Williams (31). | David Banks-Imagn Images