Trevor Siemien wasn’t the guy. Neither was Case Keenum, Brock Osweiler, Joe Flacco or Drew Lock. All of them started a number of games for the Denver Broncos following the retirement of Payton Manning, who delivered a Super Bowl win during the 2015 season as his final sendoff. The Broncos haven’t been to the playoffs since and have just one winning season in the past six.
In an attempt to fix the position the Broncos went all in swinging a deal for Russell Wilson moving them significantly up the odds boards in futures markets. In a twist of fate Wilson’s debut is against the team he spent the last decade with when the Broncos take on the Seattle Seahawks in the Week 1 Monday Night Football contest.
Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks Date/Time
The Week 1 Monday Night Football contest between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks will take place at Lumen Field in Seattle, WA at 8:15 p.m. ET on September 12, 2022 and will be televised on ESPN and ABC.
Denver Broncos vs Seattle Seahawks Odds
Denver Broncos -6.5
Seattle Seahawks +6.5
Total 44.5
Odds Analysis
Wilson is no stranger to being a favorite for a game in Seattle. The only difference is that he’s no longer a member of that city’s professional football team. Acquiring Wilson has impacted betting lines and many feel he’s the missing link for a team with a solid roster. The Broncos opened as a 4.5-point road favorite with plenty of action pushing that number to -6.5. The big question for the Seahawks is where do they go now? According to the so-called experts the answer is nowhere. Wilson’s departure leaves a gaping hole at the most important position and for the first time in years Seattle is projected as a non-playoff contender.
Denver Broncos
Wasted draft picks and career backups failed to move the needle in Denver the last six seasons. A number of different players gave it a shot since the conclusion of the 2015 season and none of them got the job done. They all had one thing in common, though. None of the 11 quarterbacks to start in that time competed in a playoff game. After five straight losing seasons the club finally made a splash acquiring Wilson in a blockbuster deal. Wilson makes the Broncos a legitimate contender in the crowded AFC with his history of success.
During Seattle’s heyday Wilson was the leader putting up impressive numbers and winning games. Though the Seahawks sucked last year, it wasn’t all Wilson’s fault. He completed nearly 65 percent of his passes with 25 touchdowns and only three picks. And he has a better supporting cast. Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy should have big years and the balanced attack features Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams in the backfield. There should be concerns, though. For the first time in his career Wilson missed games due to injury in 2021 and Seattle had its only losing season with him at the helm.
Seattle Seahawks
It’s a new era in Seattle and nobody really knows what to expect. Geno Smith takes over at QB after serving as Wilson’s backup for a few years. Smith performed well in the three games he started last year completing 70.5 percent of his passes with four TDs and zero interceptions. The Seahawks lost two of those starts each by a field goal. While they got strong play from Wilson, the Seahawks were always a team that wanted to run the football. That will be an even bigger part of the offense now. Smith is agile and can move, and not playing a lot over the last six years means he’s probably in good enough condition to handle the rigors.
There are ball carriers to deliver the load led by Rashaad Penny, who led the NFL with 671 rushing yards over the final five games of 2021. Averaging 134 yards is impressive and topping the next best rusher by more than 200 yards is also a good thing. The ground game has to work to relieve the pressure on Smith and to make up for a defense that’s average at best. The Seahawks are like Rodney Dangerfield; they get no respect. But they aren’t as bad as most pundits think they’ll be.
Broncos vs Seahawks Prediction
Pete Carroll has been around the game for a long time with a lot of success at various levels. You have to be a good judge of talent to do that and maybe, just maybe, he noticed something about Wilson. After all Russ is in his mid-30s now and last year was the first time he missed games due to injury. And Carroll is also a great coach getting the most out of his teams. Seattle is outmanned in this game but I expect they’ll put up a good fight, especially considering the opponent.
Prediction: Seattle Seahawks +6.5 / UNDER 44.5
