Seattle Seahawks 2026 schedule release: NFC gauntlet, Super Bowl-quality AFC opponents
The NFL schedule is more than dates and kickoff times. It’s mileage, money grabs for primetime, playoff previews, and opportunities hiding in plain sight.
The Seahawks get their schedule from the NFL on Thursday and the loudest message sent to them by the league was clear: “Rivalries are a dish best served last.”
The NFL’s Super Bowl winner last season was essentially decided between Seattle’s two games against the L.A. Rams in Week 16 and the NFC Championship, so the schedule makers are serving a double-scoop of the “must-win game” in 2026: The Seahawks and Rams will meet on Christmas Day in Week 16 and in the regular season finale in Week 18.
Do you think the NFL helped or hurt Seattle by giving them two games against L.A. at the end of the season?
Schedule Highlights
Note: The NFL does not officially release the schedule until 5 PM PT, but this schedule has been reported by multiple outlets and leaks are rarely inaccurate.
Week 1 - Super Bowl rematch
Imagine the reigning Super Bowl champions open the NFL’s regular season schedule — on a historic Wednesday night — and all the focus ends up on the other team’s head coach because of a romantic scandal.
Week 7 - Patrick Mahomes in primetime
Even though they missed the playoffs last season after seven straight appearances in the AFC Championship (and five Super Bowl appearances), the Chiefs continue to be one of the biggest attractions in the NFL. Adding to the stakes is the return of Kenneth Walker III to Seattle, and he was supposedly quietly unhappy with his snap share on the Seahawks.
Seattle has their own chip on a shoulder to settle with Kansas City: The Seahawks have lost four of their last five games to the Chiefs.
Thousands of Seahawks fans read Seaside Joe every day because typical NFL coverage won’t obsess over the team with daily roster analysis, cap breakdowns, and logic-based predictions like we do in this newsletter:
Week 15 - Are Eagles a “trap” game?
Nobody is underestimating the Eagles, a team that has been to three Super Bowls in the last nine years and won 11 games for the last four seasons in a row, but could the Seahawks be caught looking ahead to the Rams?
The Eagles are expected to trade A.J. Brown before the season (probably to Seattle’s Week 1 opponent in New England), meaning that rookie first round receiver could have a big role in this game. This also marks a “revenge game” for Tariq Woolen…but are we sure it’s not the Seahawks who want the revenge for all those dumb penalties?
Week 16/Week 18 - Double Trouble, Barney Rubble
The Seahawks play the Rams in both Week 16 (X-Mas day on Fox) and Week 18 (TBD, but frontrunner to be flexed to SNF), jamming the best for last into the schedule.
But a difficult home stretch is nothing new to Seattle because to win the Super Bowl last year the Seahawks had to beat six playoff teams in a row: Rams, Panthers, 49ers, 49ers, Rams, Patriots.
Week 8 and Week 13: Monday Night Money-Makers
The Seahawks face NFC teams expecting to improve on their 2025 seasons on Monday night in Week 8 (Chicago Bears) and Week 13 (Dallas Cowboys).
The Bears were an OT loss away from facing Seattle in the NFC Championship game last season. Chicago added two former Seahawks to their defense: S Coby Bryant and LB Devin Bush.
The Cowboys only won seven games under first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer, but even that feels like improvement for Dallas compared to expectations after they traded Micah Parsons. Speaking of defensive players going against their former team, the Seahawks added Dante Fowler to pair with former Cowboys teammate DeMarcus Lawrence.
Week 10 - Kubiak coup d’etat
The Seahawks face three teams with a former Seattle coordinator at the helm: Dan Quinn’s Moons in Week 3, Schottenheimer in Week 8, and Klint Kubiak’s Raiders in Week 10. All due respect, little would be more disheartening than Seattle dropping a game to Las Vegas like they did in 2022.
Week 6 - Super Bowl preview on Thursday?
The “gauntlet” continues with a Broncos team that the Seahawks might have seen in the Super Bowl last year if not for Bo Nix breaking his ankle in the playoffs.
Denver traded for Jaylen Waddle in the offseason, a move that Sean Payton hopes is enough to put the Broncos offense over the top because their offense was barely average in 2025.
Do you think the next Super Bowl be one of Seattle’s 2026 regular games as a re-match? (Seahawks vs Patriots, Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, or Raiders)
Week 5 and Week 12: Niners not ready for primetime?
Interestingly, the NFL did not deem Seahawks-49ers to be a primetime affair this season, slating them for afternoon contests during these weeks. There are still a ton of ratings at play for Fox in the afternoon, but the Week 12 contest could also be reserved for a flex to Sunday Night Football if necessary.
Most overrated team on the schedule: 49ers
Most underrated team on the schedule: Moons
San Francisco’s win total always ebbs and flows under Kyle Shanahan and coming off last season’s loss to the Seahawks it feels like the 49ers have taken another step back. They’ve added Mike Evans, but is that move two years too late? The Niners are like a reverse Peter Pan: No matter how illogical it is, they can’t seem to get younger.
On the flip side, Washington’s collapse after reaching the NFC Championship a season earlier has Quinn due for a rebound. They’ve added seven or eight new starters on defense, including top-10 pick Sonny Styles at linebacker. If Jayden Daniels is healthy, he’s still one of the more valuable quarterbacks in the conference.
Seahawks 2026 schedule
Week 1 - Seahawks vs. Patriots, September 9, 5:20 PM NBC (Wednesday)
Week 2 - Seahawks at Cardinals, September 20, 1 PM
Week 3 - Seahawks at Commanders, September 27, 10 AM
Week 4 - Seahawks vs. Chargers, October 4, 1 PM
Week 5 - Seahawks vs. 49ers, October 11, 1 PM
Week 6 - Seahawks at Broncos, October 15 (Thursday)
Week 7 - Seahawks vs. Chiefs, October 25 (Sunday Night Football)
Week 8 - Seahawks vs. Bears, November 2 (Monday Night Football)
Week 9 - Seahawks vs. Cardinals, November 8, 10 AM
Week 10 - Seahawks at Raiders, November 15, 1:05 PM
Week 11 - BYE
Week 12 - Seahawks at 49ers, November 29, 1 PM
Week 13 - Seahawks vs. Cowboys, December 7 (Monday Night Football)
Week 14 - Seahawks vs. Giants, December 13, 10 AM
Week 15 - Seahawks at Eagles, December 19, 2 PM (Saturday)
Week 16 - Seahawks vs. Rams, December 25, 5:15 PM Fox (Christmas)
Week 17 - Seahawks at Panthers, January 3, 10 AM
Week 18 - Seahawks at Rams (TBD)
Do you see the #1 seed in play again for the Seahawks?
Friday’s newsletter will rank the 5 games most likely to decide whether Seattle wins the top seed. So don’t miss it, subscribe!
I think it’s a good thing to get the Rams at the end of the season. I think it will take a few weeks to get the kinks out of the new Fleury offense. We should be firing on all cylinders by week 16. Last year I dreaded getting SFO in week one for the same reason with the brand new Kubiak offense. We only scored 13 points.
This helps the hawks! Stafford will either be banged up or out by late December.