The Seattle Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos and Russell Wilson in his much-anticipated return to Seattle, defeating Denver at home by a score of 17-16.
Buy Seahawks TicketsHere are 10 takeaways from tonight’s win.
1
Geno Smith was 'almost flawless'
Entering the fourth quarter Troy Aikman said that Geno Smith had been “nearly flawless” to that point and he was right on the money. Aside from one horizontal throw in the first quarter, Smith’s decision-making was perfect and he was very accurate with the ball, throwing with plenty of touch or zip as needed. He went 23/28 for 195 yards, two touchdowns and a 119.5 passer rating. Smith also won over the crowd with a couple of gritty runs, totaling 14 yards on the ground.
2
The Seahawks defended Russell Wilson well
It doesn’t do anything to vindicate their decision to trade him, but the Seahawks did a good job defending their former franchise quarterback Russell Wilson. While he had a decent outing, Wilson’s game was relatively contained by Clint Hurtt’s consistent two-high safety looks. He finished 29/42 for 340 yards, one touchdown and a 101.3 passer rating. A good line, but take away one big explosive play to Jerry Jeudy and he would have been almost totally ineffectual.
3
Seattle's run defense was poor
One recurring theme we’ve seen early in the season from the Seahawks defense the last few years has been poor tackling and run defense. That was a theme again tonight, as the Broncos ran wild on the ground. Together, Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams combined for 101 yards on 19 carries.
4
Jamal Adams got injured again
Seattle’s bad luck with star safety Jamal Adams continues. After letting an interception hit him in the facemask early on, Adams left the field not long after. He was carted to the locker room with a knee injury and did not return. There’s no word yet on the nature of his injury. Cody Barton and Darrell Taylor were also dinged up late in the game.
5
Rookie corners had teaching moments
Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen both have a ton of potential and could be solid long-term starters for this team. They’re going to have games like this, though. Bryant was beat over the top for a 67-yard touchdown by Jerry Jeudy, while Woolen was flagged twice for costly pass interference penalties.
6
The offensive line showed more promise
Left tackle Charles Cross allowed a couple of quarterback hits late in the game which overshadowed an otherwise strong performance from No. 67 and the offensive line in general. Geno Smith had plenty of time in the pocket and the running backs had ample lanes to work with, especially when they ran behind right tackle Abe Lucas.
7
Rashaad Penny was efficient
While he was nothing like the red-hot rushing monster we saw to finish the 2021 season, Rashaad Penny was efficient running the ball. He totaled 60 yards and 12 carries (5.0 YPC), but he did have an extremely rare fumble.
8
The pass rush will have to be creative
One thing that’ll be worth watching as the season develops is how effective the pass rush is without sending extra rushers. Tonight Seattle got two sacks on Wilson. One of them was entirely Wilson’s fault and the other was a blitz by Cody Barton. Especially with Jamal Adams out, they’ll need to continue to find ways to manufacture pressure – because outside of Uchenna Nwosu there wasn’t much to be found.
9
Red zone defense heroics
This game was ultimately won thanks to tight red zone defense in the second half by Seattle, especially in the reddest part of the field. The Seahawks managed two goal line stands that ended in fumbles and held the Broncos to a field goal on their other trip inside the 10.
10
The special atmosphere was back
It was especially noticeable on those goal line stands, but the biggest takeaway from tonight’s game may have been the energy of the crowd. For the first time in several years, there was a bowl game type of atmosphere and the noise contributed to several false starts for Denver. Time will tell if this was a one-night-only kind of thing, or if that special Seahawks home energy is finally coming back…
