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# Seahawks 2026 Schedule: Primetime Games Galore, Plus Other Takeaways
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/seattle-seahawks-2026-schedule-primetime-games-galore/
- Published: 2026-05-14T21:42:32.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T06:11:39.000Z
- Author: Corbin Smith
- Tags: Analysis, Seahawks

\[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="6165"\]

![  Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) runs on field before the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images  ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/usatsi_27846448-format-original.jpg)

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) runs on field before the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images \[/caption\]

Ready to begin their title defense, the NFL announced the Seattle Seahawks’ 2026 schedule on Thursday, which will kick off with a rematch from Super Bowl LX against the New England Patriots at Lumen Field.

Digging deep into Seattle’s schedule, which features seven primetime games and matchups against every team from both the NFC East and the AFC East divisions, what stands out about the 17-game docket? And where may the Seahawks encounter the most trouble as they aim to get back to the top of the NFC West and compete for another Lombardi Trophy?

Here are five takeaways from Seattle’s full 2026 schedule:

**1\. No shortage of primetime contests under the lights in front of a nationally televised audience.**

After hoisting the Lombardi Trophy three months ago, it shouldn’t come as a surprise at all that the Seahawks will be heavily featured in standalone night games in 2026, and the 12s will get to reap the rewards of that perk with five out of seven primetime games set to kickoff at Lumen Field. Starting off with the aforementioned Super Bowl LX rematch against the Patriots, Mike Macdonald’s squad will play four prime time games before the midway point of the season, with three of those contests being played in consecutive weeks from Week 6 to Week 8\. That span will start with a road trip to the Mile High City to face the Broncos on Thursday Night Football, followed by back-to-back home contests against the Chiefs and Bears on Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football respectively.

Seattle will continue to benefit from primetime cooking in the second half of the schedule, starting with a Monday Night Football duel against Dallas. Two weeks later, the Seahawks will travel to Philadelphia for a challenging Saturday road battle against the Eagles in Week 15 before hosting the Rams in an NFL version of Friday Night Lights on Christmas night at Lumen Field. Considering the league’s flex rules, it’s not out of the question that the Seahawks could have another primetime game added to the docket in Week 18 when they are slated for a second matchup with the Rams in a three-week span. For now, the time for that game remains to be determined, but it’s possible roughly half of the schedule could be of the primetime variety, bringing immense attention to the Pacific Northwest’s franchise.

**2\. High profile reunion - or revenge? - games will also receive the primetime treatment.**

Even as the defending champions, Seattle didn’t suffer much roster turnover, at least compared to most Super Bowl title teams, losing just five players in free agency. But from that group, several former starters departed to join new teams, including Ken Walker III signing with the Chiefs, Riq Woolen signing with the Eagles, and Coby Bryant signing with the Bears. All three of those players will get to face their former team under the lights, including Walker and Bryant returning to Lumen Field in new uniforms in consecutive weeks in late October for a pair of games that will be critical for seeding in both conferences. Woolen won’t get to play at Lumen Field, but will see his former team in Philadelphia for a Saturday night battle on December 19.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/seahawks-thumbnail-format-original.jpg)

Away from former players facing the Seahawks, the franchise will also welcome Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer back to Lumen Field for Monday Night Football in Week 13\. “Schotty” previously served as the team’s offensive coordinator from 2018 to 2021 before being relieved of duties for what coach Pete Carroll termed “philosophical differences.” Coaching at his former stomping grounds for the first time since replacing Mike McCarthy, Schottenheimer will be eager to deliver a loss to the defending champions after a not-so-ideal departure.

**3\. Minimal 10 AM PT start times and surprisingly few air miles stand out as big plusses.**

Typically, in large part due to their geographical location basically being south Alaska, the Seahawks sit in the top three teams for miles logged on road trips by default. However, 2026 stands out as an anomaly on that front. Without an international game for the fourth consecutive season and making just three trips into the Eastern time zone (Philadelphia, Charlotte, Landover), Seattle will only travel 22,054 air miles, which ranks 10th among 32 NFL teams. That’s still a significant amount of travel, but nowhere close to what the team usually makes over the course of a season.

Making the situation even rosier for the ‘Hawks, with the Eagles hosting them in primetime in Week 15, only two of those Eastern time zone games will be played with a 10 AM start. While Macdonald’s teams have been really good in those early slots, that still stands out as a major bonus on the positive side of the coin for the 2026 schedule.

**4\. An unbalanced schedule in terms of home and away game distribution has pros and cons.**

Since the NFL shifted to a 17-game schedule as part of the negotiations on the last Collective Bargaining Agreement, the AFC and NFC alternate seasons in regard to having more home games than away games. This season, teams in the NFC will have the benefit of a ninth home regular season game, and the Seahawks will play a ton of those contests before Thanksgiving. Starting with a Week 4 home date against the Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle will stay at Lumen Field for five of the next six weeks, with only a Thursday Night Football matchup with the Broncos in Week 6 being away from the Emerald City. That game will be followed by a trio of consecutive home matchups against Kansas City, Chicago, and Arizona.

But while the Seahawks will only have to get on a plane once from October 10 to November 14, those fortunes will be flipped in the dog days of December. Four of the team’s final seven games will be played away from Lumen Field, including three of the final four contests. In that span, they will have to face three playoff teams from a season ago on the road, including a rematch with the Rams in the Week 18 season finale. This will mark the second straight season that the team finishes with back-to-back road games to close out the schedule, meaning they will likely have to get the job done away from their friendly confines once again to repeat as NFC West champions, which never is an easy task.

**5\. Two brutal stretches in October and December/January may determine Seattle’s fate.**

At least based on last year’s records, the Seahawks have a fairly soft landing to begin the season. After facing the Patriots in the Super Bowl LX rematch in Week 1, they face the Cardinals and Commanders on the road in two winnable away contests, followed by back-to-back games against the Chargers and 49ers at home. It’s possible the team could win four or even all five of those games to get off to a really fast start, and that may be necessary given the gauntlet that begins afterward. Starting with their mid-week battle with the Broncos, they have three straight games in primetime against potential contenders, and while having two of those games at Lumen Field will be helpful, none of them are surefire wins and they could easily drop two or even all three of them.

The NFL schedule makers decided to not do the defending champions any favors in the final six-week sprint either. The Cowboys should be much improved on defense and already boasted a potent offense, making them a wild card to watch in the NFC standings and formidable Week 13 primetime foe. The Giants made an upgrade on the sidelines hiring coach John Harbaugh and have an exciting young roster, so that Week 14 matchup could be tougher than advertised. Those two games give way to three road games in the final four weeks, including two dates with the Rams in the last three games. If they plan to finish strong as they did last season, the Seahawks will have to do so against top-tier competition down the stretch.