The NFL season kicks off Wednesday night with a matchup the league didn't have to script for drama: the defending champion Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots at Lumen Field in a rematch of Super Bowl LX, live at 8:20 p.m. ET.

It's an unusual scheduling choice on multiple levels. The game marks the first time in franchise history the Patriots have played on a Wednesday, and the NFL has only opened a season on a Wednesday once before, back in 2012 when the Giants hosted the Cowboys, according to the team's own game preview. It's also the first Week 1 Super Bowl rematch since 2016, when Denver hosted Carolina in a rematch of Super Bowl 50.

Seahawks Favored, But History Says Watch Out

Seattle enters as 3.5-point favorites on their home turf, riding momentum from their title run, per early oddsmaker lines. But Super Bowl rematches have a habit of not going the way the smart money expects — the losing team often arrives with a chip on its shoulder and an offseason's worth of adjustments aimed squarely at whatever beat them the first time.

THE FIRST WEEK 1 SUPER BOWL REMATCH SINCE 2016

For New England, the opener represents a chance to show the offseason changes since their Super Bowl LX loss have addressed whatever went wrong on the league's biggest stage. For Seattle, it's a chance to prove their championship run wasn't a one-off — and to send an early message to the rest of the NFC that they intend to defend the title with the same team that won it.

Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET at Lumen Field, with a national broadcast expected to draw one of the largest audiences of the NFL's opening week as fans get their first live look at both rosters since February's title game.