When it comes to Wednesday night’s season opener, certain aspects are undeniable.
The Seahawks will be raising a Super Bowl banner, one that they earned by defeating the Patriots just seven short months ago. That will certainly be happening.
It will also be loud, as one of the NFL’s best-designed stadiums for containing noise will be filled with rambunctious fans who are sure to create a deafening environment for Drake Maye’s offense all night long.
Yet one thing that seems like it’s been universally accepted — that the Seahawks are a better team than the Patriots — became a point of debate on the latest Quick Snap Podcast.
“I think the Seahawks are a better football team than [the Patriots] right now,” producer Danny Healey told Brian Hoyer and David Andrews.
“It’s funny for me to hear you say you think the Seahawks are a better team,” Hoyer responded. “I would love for you to expand. What makes them a better team in your mind?”
The answer, as it is for many people, was simple: Go back and rewatch the Super Bowl.
“Yeah, but we’re not talking about the Super Bowl. We’re talking about Week 1,” Hoyer replied. “They lost Boye Mafe, they lost Riq Woolen. They’ve lost people, and the only thing that the Patriots have done is add better people. So that’s where, to me, like, the Super Bowl is over. When I’m looking at this game, I’m looking at the team that’s playing [Wednesday] night, not the team that played in February.”
Hoyer also spotlighted the loss of Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III and said that Seattle’s going to have to lean heavily on rookie Jadarian Price in his first-ever NFL game.
The Patriots, meanwhile, replaced just about all of their roster losses with upgrades. Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte went out, while A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs came in. Garrett Bradbury out, Alijah Vera-Tucker in. Out goes Jaylinn Hawkins, in goes Kevin Byard.
The losses of K’Lavon Chaisson and Austin Hooper may veer closer into the “unaccounted for” category, but Mike Vrabel believes in Dre’Mont Jones on the edge, and the team has high hopes for rookie Eli Raridon as the TE2 behind Hunter Henry.
“I think [the Super Bowl] left a bad taste in a lot of guys’ mouths over there and I think that they’ve been waiting to play this one for a long time. So I feel good about their prep, I feel good about their additions in the offseason and ultimately the continuity that they have coaching staff and player-wise,” Hoyer said. “I mean yeah, you brought in a few new guys, but you brought in veteran guys. Byard knows the system. He led the league in picks last year. Go do it now for the Patriots. A.J. Brown, you played for Vrabel. He’s being incorporated in an offensive system that’s going to use him like no other system has ever used him before. So, I think there’s so many positives going into this game that I think if you’re the Patriots, you have to feel good about it.”
