Special Preview– Week One
Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks
Broncos: It feels like 2012 all over again, doesn’t it? If you don’t know exactly what I am referring to, I will gladly explain. Ten years ago, they were able to enter their names into the elite quarterback sweepstakes and ended up signing Peyton Manning. This off-season, they acquired Russell Wilson in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks that sent Drew Lock and Noah Fant to Seattle. I’ve been on record the last few years saying the Broncos have had everything in place. A solid offensive line, an average running game and a nice defense. The glaring issue with them has been the inconsistency at quarterback. Since Peyton retired, they’ve had what I call a “rotating door” of quarterbacks. Trevor Siemian, Case Keenum, Drew Lock, Teddy Bridgewater and Joe Flacco have all come and gone. With Russ, you have someone who can come in and bring veteran leadership because I feel that’s what they’ve been missing. On paper, this is a possible playoff team in a wild AFC because there’s Buffalo, Kansas City, Baltimore, Cincinnati and Tennessee to name a few. They kick off their season on Monday night in Seattle.
Seahawks: The glory days with the Legion of Boom are gone now. At this point, they are nothing but a memory. Ever since their last Super Bowl appearance, they’ve yet to make it past the divisional round of the playoffs and there’s a Wild Card round loss in there as well. Some have joked around and said nothing has been the same since Pete Carroll made the wrong play call in Super Bowl 49. I don’t even consider that a joke because it’s true. For the last few years, there’s been an imbalance with the Seattle Seahawks. The offense has been solid. It was the defense that had been shocking me because they were consistently struggling, and they couldn’t get off the field at all. This is going to be a different year for Pete and his team because it’s truly a rebuild at this point. They traded Russell and he was the only reason why they were able to remain in games. I’ve seen crazier things happen when teams you’d least expect do so well. However, I don’t see that taking place one bit with the Seahawks. On Monday night, they welcome a familiar face to town.
Broncos X-Factor: Javonte Williams– One thing Russ has always had the luxury of having is a running game. He gets that back now. What I enjoy about Javonte is he can run inside to get those tough yards and he can bounce outside on the perimeter and burst out in space for a big gain. When you feed him the football, he can provide a spark for the Denver offense.
Seahawks X-Factor: Poona Ford– He’s the man up front now for the Seattle defense. Poona gets that push up front and collapses the quarterbacks pocket. He’s great against the run and will also rush the passer when the opportunity presents itself. I expect him to be ready and up for this game next Monday night.
Final Thoughts: Russell Wilson spent the first ten seasons of his career as a member of the Seattle Seahawks. He will be playing in Seattle once again, but this time as a visitor. This will be quite the scene as he was a fan favorite in Seattle. I look for the Denver offense to attack a Seattle secondary that has struggled significantly over the last few seasons. Stretch the field as often as possible. Seattle must get their running game going. Extend possessions and controlling the clock will be key. Also, they must keep Russ in the pocket which is easier said than done because he can extend plays from either side.
Prediction: Broncos 28, Seahawks 13
