The Seahawks' Charles Cross celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after Seattle's Super Bowl 60 win over the New England Patriots. The Seahawks and Pats open the NFL season on Wednesday in Seattle. (Getty Images)
The Seahawks' Charles Cross celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after Seattle's Super Bowl 60 win over the New England Patriots. The Seahawks and Pats open the NFL season on Wednesday in Seattle. (Getty Images)
Seattle Times
Because they are the defending Super Bowl champions — and because the NFL is increasingly finding more ways to put games on new days and in new time slots — the Seattle Seahawks’ 2026 regular-season schedule is unique in team history.
Of their 17 games, six are set for primetime and six (not all the same six) are set for days other than Sunday.
In fact, the Seahawks will play a game on every day of the week this year except for Tuesday.
How might the Seahawks navigate a most-unusual schedule?
Let’s look with my sure-to-be-100% accurate picks for each game.
Week 1
Vs. New England (Wednesday): What a night this should be as the Seahawks raise their second Super Bowl banner and host the Patriots to begin the 2026 regular season for the NFL. New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is sure to throw some different looks at Seattle after what happened in the Super Bowl. But it’s hard to imagine it could be enough to walk away with a win. Prediction: Seahawks 23, Patriots 13.
Week 2
At Arizona (Sunday, Sept. 20): The Seahawks’ first road game comes against the rebuilding Cardinals and likely veteran QB Jacoby Brissett. Seattle has won nine in a row against Arizona and five in a row in Glendale. No reason those streaks should stop now. Prediction: Seahawks 27, Cardinals 9.
Week 3
At Washington (Sunday, Sept. 27): This is the home opener for the Commanders, who are hoping to bounce back after a disappointing 5-12 record in 2025 that included a blowout home loss against the Seahawks. Washington’s hopes will live and die on whether Jayden Daniels can stay healthy and play the way he did in 2024. This will be a good test for the defense, but the Seahawks should pull it out. Prediction: Seahawks 21, Commanders 16.
Week 4
Vs. Los Angeles Chargers (Sunday, Oct. 4): Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald’s first regular-season matchup with one of his mentors — Chargers head man Jim Harbaugh — will be fraught with intrigue. And maybe new Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, the former Miami head coach, will get QB Justin Herbert back on track after he tossed 13 picks last season. But there seems no reason to pick against the Seahawks in this one. Prediction: Seahawks 20, Chargers 13.
Week 5
Vs. San Francisco (Sunday, Oct. 11): The 49ers feel like the hardest to read team in the NFL. If everyone is healthy then this is a legit Super Bowl contender. If not, the bottom could fall out. The 49ers surely have 41-6 (the score of last year’s playoff meeting) seared in their collective heads. But the Seahawks just seem the better team heading into the season. Prediction: Seahawks 23, 49ers 19.
Week 6
At Denver (Thursday, Oct. 15): The Seahawks aren’t going to win them all — or are they? No, they probably aren’t, and this feels like an obvious place for a stumble with a trip to play a tough team on the road on a Thursday night in what figures to be billed as last year’s Super Bowl that wasn’t. Prediction: Broncos 24, Seahawks 17.
Week 7
Vs. Kansas City (Sunday, Oct. 25): Kenneth Walker III returns to Seattle and Patrick Mahomes plays only his second game at Lumen Field and first since 2018 in this Sunday night affair. Should be fun. Should also be another Seahawks win. Prediction: Seahawks 27, Chiefs 23.
Week 8
Vs. Chicago (Monday, Nov. 2): Oh, man, the first head-coaching matchup of Macdonald against Bears second-year coach and offensive wunderkind Ben Johnson — who the Seahawks interviewed in 2024 — should be fascinating. And at some point the Seahawks are likely to suffer an unexpected loss at home. But we’re not picking it to happen here. Prediction: Seahawks 31, Bears 26.
Week 9
Vs. Arizona (Sunday, Nov. 8): The last of three in a row at home — something the Seahawks haven’t done since 2015 — comes against the woebegone Cardinals. No reason to think an upset happens here. Prediction: Seahawks 37, Cardinals 13.
Week 10
At Las Vegas (Sunday, Nov. 15): Klint Kubiak, who had about as successful of a one-year run in Seattle as someone can have, coordinating the Seahawks offense to a Super Bowl title and landing a head-coaching gig, makes what is likely to be a rather unhappy return. The Raiders, 2-15 last year under Pete Carroll, have a long way to go and the Seahawks should breeze in their first trip ever to Las Vegas for a regular-season game. Prediction: Seahawks 31, Raiders 13.
Week 12
At San Francisco (Sunday, Nov. 29): As noted earlier, it’s hard to read the 49ers heading into the season. It’s even harder to read what they’ll be like at the end of November. The Seahawks will be coming off their bye. If the 49ers are healthy, then an upset is more than possible. But the bye and history have us thinking the Seahawks will squeak by. Prediction: Seahawks 17, 49ers 13.
Week 13
Vs. Dallas (Monday, Dec. 7): Dak Prescott and America’s Team come to Lumen for the first time in a game with fans in the stands since 2018. And it’ll be a test of the loyalty of Seahawks fans how many Dallas supporters end up in the building. Those Dallas denizens who do make it in the building figure to go home unhappy. Prediction: Seahawks 28, Cowboys 12.
Week 14
Vs. New York Giants (Sunday, Dec. 13): This will be Macdonald’s first game against his truest coaching mentor, John Harbaugh, who is taking over in New York after 18 years with the Ravens. Macdonald owes a lot to Harbaugh. But that won’t get Macdonald feeling he owes him anything but an L on this Sunday. Prediction: Seahawks 34, Giants 14.
Week 15
At Philadelphia (Saturday, Dec. 19): A matchup of the last two Super Bowl winners was rightly picked for a Saturday afternoon/night stand-alone affair. A long trip on a short week could be bad for the Seahawks in a game that will be interesting as Riq Woolen faces off against his former team. Prediction: Eagles 23, Seahawks 10.
Week 16
Vs. Los Angeles Rams (Friday, Dec. 25): The Seahawks will have six days to prepare for this game — the first in franchise history on Christmas Day — and the Rams just five after hosting Dallas on Dec. 20. But each will have spent months eyeing this one, especially the Rams after the two losses in Seattle a year ago. Here’s to thinking the Seahawks will keep that streak going and get the first W in what could again be three meetings in 2026. Prediction: Seahawks 27, Rams 23.
Week 17
At Carolina (Sunday, Jan. 3): The seemingly annual trip to Charlotte comes at a weird time, sandwiched between the two Rams games. But two extra days of rest should help the Seahawks avoid any letdown. Prediction: Seahawks 19, Panthers 9.
Week 18
At Los Angeles Rams (Jan. 9 or 10): We don’t know for sure when this game will be played or what will be on the line. But it feels like it would be good if the Seahawks had enough of a lead on the Rams before this one to make a loss irrelevant. Prediction: Rams, 27, Seahawks 19.
Season prediction
Add it up and that’s another 14-3 season leading to whatever happens next. Has a nice ring to it, no?
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