Patriots 2026 game-by-game predictions following schedule release

Now that the New England Patriots' 2026 NFL schedule has been made official, we can begin the long process of breaking down the team's future matchups. Leave the party hats at home because there will be no "cupcake" schedule for the Patriots this season. They will be facing multiple playoff contenders in their second year under head coach Mike Vrabel.

Last year, they took the league by storm by winning 14 games after back-to-back 4-13 seasons. Never say never in the NFL, but it's highly unlikely that they will have a similar run in 2026. That doesn't mean they won't win the division, compete in the playoffs and potentially get back to the Super Bowl.

The ceiling is high for a Patriots team that should be significantly better than they were last season. Here are my early game-by-game predictions for the team in 2026: Week 1, Sept. 9: Patriots at Seattle Seahawks This being a Week 1 matchup makes it more likely that the Patriots pull off an upset.

They won't be facing a Seahawks team in midseason form for this matchup. Instead, they'll get the defending Super Bowl champions coming off an offseason where they lost multiple key contributors, including Super Bowl LX MVP running back Kenneth Walker III. The Patriots gave the Seahawks fits defensively in the Super Bowl, and on the offensive side of the ball, Drake Maye will have more weapons than ever before.