​Just like the final game of the 2025 NFL season, the 2026 season will kick off with the New England Patriots taking on the Seattle Seahawks.Seattle will host the Patriots to open the new year, giving fans a rematch of the Super Bowl early in the year. This game has the makings of a fun contest to open the season, while giving the Patriots a chance to test themselves against the defending champions.The Seahawks are the team that everyone is chasing, and they are the measuring stick for the league. New England understands this, but they’ll be looking at Seattle as just another team in their way.But while there has been all sorts of talk about revenge for the Patriots, it seems that may not be the case in the locker room. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye cleared the air on the matter, saying that the team doesn’t view this as a revenge game.”They won the big one,” Maye said.Drake Maye says this isn’t a revenge game for the Patriots.”They won the big one.”— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) September 5, 2026With the Patriots not viewing this as a revenge game, it could work out better in their favor. Sometimes teams can be blinded by their desire to win certain games, and it has cost groups in the past.But this roster is just trying to take things one game at a time, looking to build on the results from last season. The only goal is to win the Super Bowl, but the Patriots know that they are a long way from making that happen.The game against the Seahawks is just step one for the Patriots, and they can’t win the title, even if they defeat Seattle. But it would be a nice consolation prize for the organization after they were exposed in the Super Bowl.With new weapons in wide receivers A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs, the Patriots do feel better about their chances this year. These two give Maye more weapons to use in the passing game, giving New England a more balanced offensive attack.New England is coming into the season ready to prove itself again, despite all the success that it saw last year. There are many people doubting the Patriots entering 2026, but the team is using this as fuel.Maye firmly broke out a year ago, and he will try to replicate those results in 2026. And if he can become even better, the Patriots will have a legitimate chance to raise the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season.