When the Seattle Seahawks open the 2026 NFL season against the New England Patriots, the reigning champions will face a player whom they didn’t see in their Super Bowl LX victory: A.J. Brown.
Last season for the Philadelphia Eagles, Brown played 517 pass snaps, earning an 83.0 overall PFF grade.
Moreover, the new Patriots receiver hauled in 78 receptions on 120 targets for 1,003 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Brown also averaged 12.9 yards per reception and generated 270 yards after the catch.
Ahead of the Week 1 opener on Sept. 9, ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes believes that the Patriots could use Brown to exploit the Seahawks’ secondary.
“I am so excited to see A.J. Brown in this offense, and I know that sounds like it would be an obvious X factor for any Patriots game, but I would say it’s uniquely important in the Seahawks game because the Seahawks corner who I think you would have had on A.J. Brown last year, the only one on the team who had the size and the length to keep up with A.J. Brown, well, Riq Woolen’s a Philadelphia Eagle now,” Kimes said during a Sept. 4 appearance on “SportsCenter.”
“So I’m not sure how Seattle’s going to handle him. I’m sure they’re going to take a group approach. This is an injured secondary going into this game and A.J. Brown is likely to be a big factor.”
How Seahawks Can Limit A.J. Brown’s Impact
While Brown will present the Seahawks with a major problem in Week 1, Kimes did share how Seattle can offset that.
“My X-factor for Seattle is the four-man rush,” Kimes added. “To me, this is their best chance of stopping A.J. Brown. Don’t let the ball get to A.J. Brown. This is a four-man rush that we saw terrorize the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, coupled with some timely DB blitzes from Devon Witherspoon.
“This is the area where they have the advantage. Because while the Patriots have added a lot of talent, the offensive line is still a little bit of an area of concern.”
Realistic Expectation for Jadarian Price Ahead of Week 1
On the offensive side of the ball, the Seahawks will be counting on Jadarian Price to help with the rushing attack.
Despite being a rookie, Seattle will need Price to contribute right away, given that Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III left in free agency this past offseason and Zach Charbonnet is starting the 2026 NFL season on the reserve/PUP list and will miss at least the first four games as he recovers from a torn ACL.
Ahead of Week 1, Andrew Destin of The Athletic shared what the realistic expectation should be for the rookie’s production.
“I think it is fair to expect Price to put together a year somewhat similar to what TreVeyon Henderson provided the Patriots last season,” Destin wrote in a Sept. 3 article. “As a rookie, Henderson ran the ball 180 times for 911 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per carry and 53.6 yards per game.
“He also had 35 catches for 221 yards and a TD. He led the team in rushing, but veteran Rhamondre Stevenson galloped for 603 yards on 130 carries and played more snaps (533 to 501), including on obvious passing downs because of his ability in pass protection.”
Seahawks Handed Strong A.J. Brown Warning Before Patriots Game