Seven months after a Super Bowl defeat still fresh in memory, the New England Patriots return to Lumen Field to face the Seattle Seahawks in a season opener that carries the rare weight of unfinished business. At the center of the story is a young quarterback, Drake Maye, whose regular-season brilliance collapsed under the brightest lights — and who now has the earliest possible chance at redemption. Around him, a rebuilt roster signals organizational belief, even as quiet vulnerabilities in the linebacker corps and special teams remind us that belief alone does not win football games.