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Super Bowl hangover? Assessing whether Seahawks, Patriots will regress or regroup for another run in 2026

After Seattle's dominant 29-13 Super Bowl win over New England, both teams face tougher paths, loaded divisions, and key roster changes in 2026

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Just reaching the Super Bowl in a given season is a monumental feat, not to mention winning it. Getting back to the big game for a second consecutive year is reserved for a select few in NFL history. While there have been teams to return and repeat in back-to-back years, there's also another side to the coin -- the dreaded Super Bowl hangover. 

For some organizations, there's a hangover after either winning or falling in the big game. For instance, the 2025 campaign saw the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles go one-and-done in the playoffs, falling to the San Francisco 49ers at home in the wild-card round. As for the Super Bowl LIX loser, the Kansas City Chiefs, the wheels fell off of their dynastic run with a 6-11 season that saw them on the outside looking in on the playoffs after reaching the Super Bowl in three consecutive seasons. 

So what does the 2026 season have in store for the two clubs that duked it out in Super Bowl LX? Will the Seattle Seahawks' 29-13 demolition of the New England Patriots be the start of a dynasty of their own? Are Drake Maye and company poised to bounce back, or are they still seeing stars from Seattle's knockout blow that halted them for a championship? 

Below, we're going to examine these two teams that just went head-to-head in the Super Bowl and determine whether they are set up for another run or will regress in 2026. 

NFL odds courtesy of DraftKings. 

Seahawks key additions, departures

Additions

Departures

Patriots key additions, departures

Additions

Departures

Outlook for Seahawks in NFC West, NFC 

  • Odds to win NFC West: +205 | Odds to win NFC: +600
  • Odds to win SB LXI: +1100
  • O/U win total: 10.5 (Over -115, Under -105)

Seattle spent the bulk of the offseason retaining and solidifying key pieces of its championship roster. They re-signed Rashid Shaheed and corner Josh Jobe, while handing extensions to wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba and edge rusher Derick Hall, with another extension to corner Devon Witherspoon likely on the way. The most noticeable departure from that Super Bowl-winning squad is running back Kenneth Walker III, who won Super Bowl MVP honors last year. With Zach Charbonnet (torn ACL in the divisional round) still recovering, first-round rookie running back Jadarian Price will carry the load out of the backfield. Outside of that, it's largely the same team that went 14-3 during the 2025 regular season, earned the No. 1 seed, and mowed down the competition en route to a title. 

However, the circumstances around the Seahawks, particularly in the division, have changed rather dramatically. Currently, they have the second-best odds to win the NFC West, trailing the Los Angeles Rams (+100), who've spent the offseason turning themselves into a juggernaut. Already armed with the defending NFL MVP in Matthew Stafford, they've boosted the defense by adding corners Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, while pulling off a mega-trade with the Cleveland Browns to land the defending Defensive Player of the Year in Myles Garrett. This has made L.A. a sizable Super Bowl favorite at +550 (the next-shortest favorites are +1000), so they are the clear-cut biggest obstacle to Seattle in the NFC, let alone the NFC West.  

Last season, the Seahawks went 3-1 against the Rams, including a victory in the NFC Championship. Each of those games was determined by four or fewer points, so the margin between these two clubs was razor-thin. With L.A. drastically improving its defense, it may have added the separation needed to leapfrog them in the division. 

While most of the attention will be paid to the Rams, the San Francisco 49ers are primed to be a thorn in Seattle's side as well. Remember, had the Seahawks fallen to San Francisco in Week 18 last season, it would've been the Niners who were NFC West champions and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. That came despite an array of injuries that had befallen the franchise. Of course, that gets forgotten because of the 41-6 bludgeoning Seattle inflicted on San Francisco in the divisional round. That said, provided they get their key pieces back healthy and that relatively remains the case, they'll be a threat in the division that shouldn't be overlooked.

You could make a strong case that whichever team wins the NFC West will go on to be the odds-on favorite to win Super Bowl LXI. If we're looking at the rest of the conference beyond the NFC West, however, the Philadelphia Eagles could be due for a bounce-back season after an early playoff exit last postseason. The NFC North is another powerhouse division that could produce a handful of challengers to Seattle, including the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and Chicago Bears. 

With the Seahawks now having a target on their back as the defending Super Bowl champions, they'll get everyone's best shot in 2026. When looking at their strength of schedule for the 2026 season, Seattle has the 14th-toughest schedule when using their upcoming opponents' combined win percentage from 2025 or the 11th-toughest if you calculate based on the over/under win totals. Either way, it's a tough, but not overwhelmingly treacherous path ahead by those metrics. 

Outlook for Patriots in AFC East, AFC 

  • Odds to win AFC East: +120 | Odds to win AFC: +760
  • Odds to win SB LXI: +1600
  • O/U win total: 10.5 (Over +115, Under -140)

New England's road in 2026 is going to be far different from the red carpet they walked down last year. As a refresher, the Patriots faced the easiest regular-season strength of schedule since the 1999 Rams. Then, they saw the Broncos in the AFC Championship without their starter, Bo Nix, which helped pave the way for a Super Bowl run. Even with that easier road in mind, you still have to credit Mike Vrabel and Maye for getting to Super Bowl LX and, in the process, mark one of the best one-year turnarounds in league history. 

They are capable of carrying that momentum into 2026, especially after revamping the offensive line and adding A.J. Brown to headline the receiver room, but it'll be a noticeably more difficult path. New England is now set to play the sixth-hardest strength of schedule in the NFL next season, and they'll feel it right out of the gate. They have the hardest Week 1 through Week 4 strength of schedule (.721 win percentage in 2025) in the last 40 years. Three of those first four games will also be on the road, including a trip to Orchard Park to face the Buffalo Bills. 

The Patriots got back atop the AFC East in 2025 after splitting the season series with Buffalo, and they'll once again be their main competition in the division with New York and Miami still rebuilding. Similar to last season, the Bills are the favorite to win the AFC East at -125. It will be interesting to see how much of an impact Joe Brady, who was elevated from offensive coordinator to head coach after the firing of Sean McDermott, will have in Buffalo. On top of a new head coach, the Bills gave Josh Allen a new weapon after trading with Chicago for wideout DJ Moore. They also added edge rusher Bradley Chubb and defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency, while using their top selection at the 2026 NFL Draft (a second-rounder) on Clemson defensive end T.J. Parker. 

On top of Buffalo coming back with a vengeance, the rest of the AFC should also prove to be a bigger hurdle for New England to get back to the Super Bowl. Last season, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson were all on the outside looking in on the playoffs. While it remains to be seen what the Kansas City Chiefs will look like as Mahomes recoups from his torn ACL, the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens are lock, stock and barrel with Burrow and Jackson for 2026, which is a scary proposition for the entire conference. 

Then there's the team that New England axed in the AFC Championship Game to get to Super Bowl LX: the Denver Broncos. They are slated to get Bo Nix back healthy and made a splash by trading for wideout Jaylen Waddle. That should keep them firmly in the mix and a key team to monitor for the Patriots as well. 

Again, the Patriots made improvements this offseason and are probably better, on paper, than they were a season ago when they reached the Super Bowl. That said, this AFC is far better and, for now, healthier than the one they slayed last season. 

Prediction for Seahawks

Record: 12-5 | NFC West champions: No | Playoffs: Yes | Super Bowl: No

One of the big questions surrounding the Seahawks is how the offense will look now that Brian Fleury is pulling the strings as the offensive coordinator after Klint Kubiak took over the Las Vegas Raiders. While Fleury (formerly the run game coordinator and tight ends coach for the 49ers) does plan to run a scheme nearly identical to Kubiak's, it is a change. Does that, coupled with the departure of Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, take them down just a touch offensively? If it does, that could be enough for the rest of the division to not just nip on the heels, but pass them. And that's not even mentioning the improvements both the 49ers and, especially, the Rams have made.

Health permitting, the Seahawks will likely fight for second place in the NFC West against San Francisco, as both look up to the behemoth the Rams created. They are still capable of winning double-digit games and making the playoffs, but Los Angeles could prove to be more of a roadblock than a speed bump in their title defense. 

Prediction for Patriots

Record: 10-7 | AFC East champions: No | Playoffs: Yes | Super Bowl: No

The Patriots are a better team now than the one that reached the Super Bowl, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll make it back to the Super Bowl in 2026. That said, they won't fall off a cliff either. Maye is a bona fide MVP-caliber quarterback who saw his organization spend the offseason bolstering the offensive line and giving him two new weapons at receiver in Brown and Doubs. If Maye is going to be "the guy" for New England, they should routinely be in the playoff conversation, which I expect to be the case in 2026. 

Yes, the schedule is harder, but it's not a murderers' row, either. Sure, there will be challenges, but there are also soft pockets where they can catch their breath. They'll fight Buffalo down to the wire for back-to-back AFC East titles, but fall just short. They win double-digit games and give themselves a shot to return to the Super Bowl by making the playoffs as a wild card entry. 

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