The New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl rematch has arrived, but New England will be without one of its biggest offensive weapons.
The Patriots and Seahawks meet Wednesday, September 9, in Seattle in a rematch of Super Bowl LX. TreVeyon Henderson has been ruled out of the season opener after missing every practice this week with an ankle injury, the team confirmed on its final injury report.
This isn’t a rotational piece missing a depth game. Henderson, the 39th overall pick in the 2025 draft out of Ohio State, led New England in scrimmage yards and touchdowns as a rookie. He was also a finalist for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
He rushed for 911 yards on 5.1 yards per carry with nine touchdowns, adding 35 catches for 221 yards and another score through the air. He didn’t miss a single game doing it, according to Fox Sports’ report on the ruling.
That durability is exactly what makes Wednesday’s absence sting. This is the first real piece of adversity in his young career, arriving at the worst possible moment.
Henderson hurt the ankle in practice on August 24 and hasn’t been back on the field since — 15 days and counting heading into kickoff.
The Patriots still had him travel with the team to Seattle. This kept his availability technically alive right up until Tuesday’s final report, per Heavy.com’s coverage of the decision.
Rhamondre Stevenson steps back into the lead role, a job he already carried down the stretch of New England’s playoff run last season.
New England’s trade acquisition Corey Kiner is expected to mix in behind Stevenson. Lan Larison and Hassan Haskins are both practice-squad candidates to be elevated for extra depth, as detailed by 985 The Sports Hub.
Stevenson and Henderson had been one of the better running back duos in the league by the end of 2025. The plan entering this season was for both to reprise those roles together.
Now Stevenson carries the offense alone into the toughest possible test: a rematch, on the road, against the defense that just beat them for the Lombardi Trophy.
New England opens its season in Seattle after falling to the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, Fox Sports confirmed in its report.
Henderson isn’t the only injury New England is managing — center Ben Brown was also ruled out with a knee injury — but nothing else on the report comes close to the size of losing Henderson, per 985 The Sports Hub’s injury report breakdown.
Seattle has its own concerns, with starting safety Ty Okada ruled out and two other starters listed as limited — but losing a safety is a very different proposition than losing the running back who led your entire offense in yards and touchdowns as a rookie.
The questions this creates are exactly the ones that make Week 1 interesting:
Can Stevenson carry a full workload against the team that just eliminated New England from Super Bowl contention? Does Kiner earn enough touches to matter?
Can the Patriots find any offensive rhythm at all in the building where their season ended seven months ago?
Henderson’s next chance to get back on the field will depend on how the ankle responds — New England has 11 days between Week 1 and Week 2, which gives him more runway than usual to recover before the Patriots need him again.
For now, though, this Super Bowl rematch kicks off with New England missing the one offensive piece opponents had to game-plan around most.
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