Week 1 is finally here! After seven long, painful months without NFL football, we can finally get back to what really matters.
Maybe you started watching baseball, picked up jogging, or spent more time with your family. But thankfully, you don't have to pretend to enjoy any of those things anymore.
You can turn your attention to the Week 1 NFL slate, where there are plenty of intriguing matchups.
Breaking down the key matchup in every week 1 game
Wednesday, September 9th
New England Patriots @ Seattle Seahawks, 8:20 PM ET
A rematch of last year's Super Bowl will open the 2026 NFL season on Wednesday. The Seattle Seahawks won February's matchup largely because of their defense, which pressured New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye on 52.8 percent of dropbacks, leading to six sacks. With Seattle returning most of the key players behind that relentless pass rush, New England's ability to protect Maye from Seattle's pressure will be something to watch.
The Patriots' pass blocking was a weak point for the offense last season, finishing 25th in pressure rate and 23rd in sacks allowed. New England signed left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker this offseason and should see development from second-year players left tackle Will Campbell and center Jared Wilson.
But what makes this matchup fascinating is that Maye was fantastic under pressure last year, ranking first in yards per attempt, passer rating and EPA per dropback during the regular season. Despite that, something about this Seattle pass rush gave Maye serious problems in the Super Bowl. Whether it was head coach Mike Macdonald's scheme, which emphasizes simulated pressures and disguised coverages that confused Maye, or simply an off day, how Maye and this offense perform against this defense is something worth paying attention to.
Thursday, September 10th
San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams, 8:35 PM ET
In the two games in which the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams faced off last year, San Francisco rushed for 74 yards per game, 2.7 yards per carry, and -0.18 EPA per rush. Even 49ers' All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey struggled against Los Angeles last year, averaging 2.6 yards per carry. With Kyle Shanahan's offense built on the running game, how the 49ers run the ball will tremendously impact the outcome of this game.
This San Francisco rushing attack was uncharacteristically pedestrian last season, rushing for 3.8 yards per carry and -0.03 EPA per play. Specifically, they ranked 32nd in rushing in the red zone, 29th in rushing vs. a light box, and 32nd in rushing outside the tackles, all statistics in which the Los Angeles defense ranked in the top 10 last season.
Kyle Shanahan will need this running game to excel in this matchup to avoid obvious passing downs and prevent Myles Garrett and this pass rush from pinning their ears back.
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