The Seattle Seahawks‘ opponents for 2026 have been revealed. While we don’t know when they will play them, we know who the Seahawks will be facing next season. So far, it is an incredibly intriguing slate of opponents, with several big names coming to the Emerald City. The 12th Man will have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to finding interesting home games to attend in the fall.
As I mentioned in the announcement article, it’s perfectly reasonable to start getting excited about next year as well. With that in mind, I thought now would be the perfect opportunity to publish a “way too early Top 5 most intriguing matchups of 2026” article. Quick note: I have left games against NFC West opponents off this particular list. Division rival showdowns in the NFC West are always entertaining and often chaotic, but they are ones we get to see twice a year, every year. For the sake of variety, I set my sights on opponents the 12’s don’t usually get to see.
I will give a genuinely honorable mention to the Kansas City Chiefs. The only reason they don’t crack my list as of right now solely revolves around the unknown availability of Patrick Mahomes, who tore his ACL in Week 15. Maybe the Seahawks will catch a scheduling break and will get this game early in the year when he’s still likely to be sidelined. Or perhaps the NFL will save a game between one of the league’s biggest stars against one of the best defenses for a primetime showdown later in the season. Only time will tell. But for now, since we have absolutely no way of knowing, I’m leaving them off the “most intriguing matchups” list because if Mahomes isn’t playing, the Chiefs simply aren’t worth watching.
No. 5 – Dallas Cowboys
Games between the Seahawks and Cowboys don’t come as often as I feel they should, because when they do they are always a great product. These teams last played on Thursday Night Football in 2023, which saw Dallas holding on for a 41-35 shootout win. A lot has changed for the Seahawks since then, which now boast a pair of former Cowboys in defensive coordinator Aden Durde and linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence who will be coming off a Pro Bowl year. This is quietly one of the better intra-conference rivalries, as five of the last seven meetings have been determined by one score.
No. 4 – Los Angeles Chargers
The return of Jim Harbaugh to the Pacific Northwest. Once the most despised man by the entirety of the Seattle faithful, Harbaugh will be back on the opposing sidelines for the first time since December 14th, 2014. This will be an incredibly physical, defensive battle as the Chargers have been molded in his image. It will also be the first chance to see Justin Herbert at Lumen Field, and that alone is worth the price of admission. I’m sure plenty of Husky fans in the crowd would love to see the Seahawks give the former Oregon Duck standout a loss.
No. 3 – Denver Broncos
A rematch of Super Bowl XLVIII… and perhaps a future rematch of Super Bowl LX!? Seattle and Denver are this year’s No. 1 seeds and this game next year will surely be under the lights of prime time. Mile High is already an infamously difficult road environment for any opponent, but the Seahawks are incredibly inconsiderate guests. Under Macdonald, they are 15-2 on the road, which is the second best record in NFL history for a head coach to start away from home. If there is any team uniquely prepared to handle Mile High, its this version of the Seattle Seahawks.
No. 2 – Chicago Bears
The immovable object meets the unstoppable force. A meeting of the minds between Mike Macdonald and Ben Johnson, the two most sought after coordinators-turn-head coaches in recent memory. Macdonald and Johnson were both pined after by just about every team in the league, with the Seahawks being one of them. Seattle waited to get their man and their patience paid off. Now his defense will get a chance to slow down Johnson’s offense led by the dynamic Caleb Williams. Chicago shocked the league by ending up the No. 2 seed this year, and look like they are going to be a team the conference will have to reckon with for some time. At the risk of putting the cart WELL before the horse, this could very well end up being a key game to determine seeding for next year’s playoffs.
No. 1 – New England Patriots
New England will be making the rare trip west to the Emerald City, and as always, this will be appointment viewing. These teams have met six times since 2008 and all six have been one-score games. Last year the Seahawks won 23-20 in overtime on the road. Four years prior in 2020 they stuffed Cam Newton on the goal line to win a 35-30 thriller. Four years before that Russell Wilson outdueled Tom Brady 31-24 in Foxboro. February 2015… nothing of note happened. But in 2012, Russell Wilson and the Legion of Boom announced themselves to the world they were a force to be reckoned with, upsetting Brady’s Patriots 24-23. Just like the Broncos, this game in 2026 could easily be a rematch of a previous… or future… Super Bowl. To me, Seahawks vs Patriots has Sunday Night Football written all over it.