Patriots Odds Of Playing Seahawks In Seaosn Opener Get Even Higher

It was already known that the Seahawks would not be playing the Rams or 49ers in Week 1, as both teams are scheduled to face off in Melbourne on Sept. 10. That left seven possible opponents. Well, on Monday, the NFL announced that the Giants and Cowboys will face off on Sunday Night Football in Week 1. That leaves the Chiefs, Chargers, Patriots, Bears and Cardinals as possible opponents.

The Patriots are suddenly one of the favorites to play the Seahawks in Week 1. The NFL tries to put a big game in the opener, and based on the possible opponents, the Patriots would provide the most juice as the Seahawks' opener.

The Cardinals are not set up to be a competitive opponent for the Seahawks, and the NFL is not going to put a likely dud as the opener. Additionally, historically, it's less likely to have a divisional game as the opener.

The Chiefs would be a great opponent for the Seahawks to start with, but the unknown of whether Patrick Mahomes will be ready likely takes that matchup off the board as well.

The Chargers, Patriots and Bears would all be solid opponents for the Seahawks to play in an opener. However, the Patriots and Bears would provide the most hype and build-up for the league. The Bears are an up-and-coming young team that surprised many last season. Caleb Williams looks like a superstar, and Ben Johnson's offense makes for great television.

For the Patriots, the prospects of a Super Bowl matchup would be plenty of reason for the NFL to put them in the opener. It would be easy to market the game and build up to the season opener. Additionally, after an offseason of drama surrounding Mike Vrabel, the NFL knows that everyone would tune in to see how the Patriots respond, especially with many counting on them to regress.

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