The Broncos had plenty of hype going into their 2022 NFL season with Russell Wilson at quarterback. A lot of that noise faded on Monday night as Wilson and Denver fell in front of the loud crowd in his former home in Week 1.
The Seahawks (1-0), in the preseason conversation for the worst team in the league, escaped with an emotional and shocking 17-16 victory. That put them alone in first place in the tough NFC West after the Rams, 49ers and Cardinals all lost. Meanwhile the Broncos are already facing the early pressure to keep up with winning Chiefs and Chargers in the tough AFC West.
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Here’s cutting through the requisite overreactions on both teams to keep the early narratives from getting out of hand:
“The Broncos’ offense looks like an absolute mess with Russell Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett”
Wilson’s arrival was expected to send Denver’s offense miles higher, closest to the level it was early in the Peyton Manning era. Instead of dominating a shaky and soft zone defense — which Manning himself pointed out several times on his ESPN broadcast — the Broncos failed to execute in key situations.
They were 0-4 in scoring TDs in the red zone, coming up empty twice at the goal line on fumbles by running backs Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams. The majority of their 12 penalties for came via delays of game and other noise-induced press infractions. They also failed to convert the right third downs at the right times despite going 8-of-15.
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But there were also signs of exceptional balance and explosiveness. Williams and Gordon are a fine 1-2 all-purpose punch behind a reliable offensive line. Wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy each came up with big plays and the tight ends provided good support. Had Gordon and Williams each scored instead of losing the ball, the outcome would have much different with the Broncos’ off and rolling.
The Broncos will be at their functional best soon scoring the points they should. It was difficult for them to be thrown into a boisterous, hostile anti-Wilson environment right away. Combined with the newness of Hackett’s hybrid Packers-like scheme, that added up to a jittery debut.
Expect the Broncos to deliver a clean runaway effort against what will be an overmatched Texans defense in Week 2. That will build more confidence Wilson can hang with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Derek Carr in what will be a half dozen offensive tests for Denver in the AFC West.
“The first-place Seahawks can shock everyone and steal the NFC West with Pete Carroll’s coaching”
The Rams looked anything but Super in their opening loss to the Bills. The 49ers limped through an epic fail against the Bears, a supposed NFC also-ran. The Cardinals were routed at home wire-to-wire by the Chiefs.
No one would have expected Seattle to spend any time as the division front-runner, but that’s the case after the first game without Wilson. Carroll had to be pleased most about how his young defense of him bent without breaking and came up with critical stops and takeaways. Credit also goes to the offense for not going into a run-heavy shell and opening up the passing game in a different way with Geno Smith.
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Facing Wilson in a mutual revenge game wasn’t on the level of the two Super Bowls have played under Carroll but the Seahawks pulled out all the stops and poured a lot of their energy into beating Wilson’s team. The overachieving will be cooled going forward with limited talent. The Seahawks still feel more like last year’s Texans or Lions — a scrappy, hard-fighting team that will have few wins to show for it in the end.
“Geno Smith proved he was the right starting QB choice to replace Wilson for the Seahawks”
Smith started out red-hot and cooled only a little (23-of-28 passing, 195 yards, 2 TDs, 119.5 passer rating, 7.0 YPA) in outdueling Wilson with much lesser volume. The Seahawks also were competitive in every start he made for an injured Wilson last season.
But the feel-good story of Smith will soon give way to the reality that he is no more than a shaky bridge option. Smith hit nicely on two long TD passes to tight ends Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson, but he struggled to get the ball in the right spots downfield to DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and the rest of the wide receivers.
The Seahawks’ offense started stalling in the second half with Rashaad Penny’s running still looking like its most explosive element. Rebuilding Seattle might get OK play from Smith, but it won’t really have a QB answer in 2023. At some point, when the Seahawks are sunk in the standings, it’s worth seeing them what Drew Lock can do before locking into a franchise passer in next year’s draft.
There are many QBs in the league such as Smith that are capable of big games here and there. The challenge is sustaining it when defenses have a better understanding of magnifying the weaknesses. The lumps for Smith should come as soon as Week 2 against an angry and loaded 49ers defense.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism