Greg Cote's Wednesday night NFL pick

Greg Cote, Miami Herald on Sep 8, 2026

Published in Football

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GREG COTE’S NFL WEEK 1 WEDNESDAY PICK

The NFL’s 107th season is the 36th year for our picks in the Miami Herald and the 21st season King Sport has kicked off early prime time — this year, for only the second time ever, on a Wednesday. (The other was in 2012 when the schedule moved up a day to avoid conflict with Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at Democratic National Convention.) Alas, this also marks the Dolphins' NFL-long 25th consecutive season without a playoff win since the last in 2001. Happy anniversary? Welcome back to longtime followers of our NFL picks and welcome aboard to first-timers. We take our picks seriously but also have fun along the way. Watch for our Thursday-game pick separately tomorrow. Our main weekly picks post every Thursday online and Friday in print.

PATRIOTS (0-0) at SEAHAWKS (0-0)

Line: SEA by 3.

Cote’s pick: SEA, 21-17.

TV: 8:20 p.m. Wednesday, NBC.

A Super Bowl rematch grand marshals the NFL ‘26 parade in King Sport’s first season-opening Wednesday game in 14 years. The NFL will play games every day of the week except Tuesday this season. Seattle handled New England, 29-13, in the most recent SB and is favored again, though the line had shrunk from an opening 4 1/2 to a field goal as of midday Tuesday. Safest bet may be ‘under’ on 44 1/2, with two top-five defenses from a year ago. Since the Super Bowl the Seahawks notably lost RB Kenneth Walker III to the Chiefs and watched offensive boss Klint Kubiak leave to become Raiders’ head coach. Patriots offseason was rough for coach Mike Vrabel with the Dianna Russini mess over an apparent affair, but Pats also acquired WR A.J. Brown as a needed gift for QB Drake Maye. (BTW, Russini lost her reporting job. Vrabel goes on professionally unscathed. Hmm.) Anyway, I like SEA outright; don’t see NE matching last year’s heights. I lean low score because Seattle’s D should again trouble Maye, while Pats’ newly enriched star CB Christian Gonzalez should again limit ‘Hawks star WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Seattle was NFL-best 15-5 vs. spread last season including playoffs, so we’ll ride that here but in a much tighter outcome than in SBLX.

(Note: Betting line courtesy DraftKings as of midday Tuesday.)