In a Wednesday night Super Bowl rematch, the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks kicked off the 2026-27 NFL regular season.
Former UNC standout Drake Maye quarterbacked his Patriots
into this highly-anticipated opener, throwing passes to another Tar Heel in wide receiver Mack Hollins. The Seahawks featured former North Carolina quarterback-turned-linebacker Chazz Surratt, entering his second season with the reigning Super Bowl champs.In a matchup between three former UNC stars, Surratt prevailed a winner, helping Seattle to a 13-10 win that came down to the final drive.
Surratt only totaled two tackles, including a solo stop, but proved part of a defense that intercepted Maye three times and limited him to 178 passing yards.
Even with Maye's
struggles, New England (0-1) looked well on the way to a decisive victory, up 10-0 through most of the third quarter. The Patriots limited the Seahawks' (1-0) rushing attack, while thriving against their backup quarterback Drew Lock, who replaced an injured Sam Darnold after the first drive.
Former UNC quarterback Chazz Surratt. People forget
— Neil Pierre-Louis (@pierreanalytics) September 10, 2026
Surratt and his Seattle teammates held the Pats scoreless in the final quarter, with their lockdown defense highlighted by a late interception that iced a massive win. The Seahawks overcame the loss of their starting quarterback, proving their defense can win any game.
There's no guarantee that New England and Seattle meet again in the Super Bowl, but crazier things are known to happen. Maye will almost certainly rebound from his rough night, Hollins will try to build on a strong start to Year 10, while Surratt tries to carve out a larger role in his fifth NFL season.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Three UNC football standouts face off in 2026 NFL opener
