The first half of the first career game for new Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, and to a lesser degree new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, went about as poorly as possible.

From the opening drive, Geno Smith was under constant pressure, with the interior offensive line totally overwhelmed. The group had been thoroughly overhauled in the off-season, as it was one of the worst in 2023. Unfortunately, it looked and felt like nothing had changed. Any play OC Ryan Grubb called was immediately blown-up by the Broncos defensive line crashing through and getting up in Geno’s face. OLB Jonathon Cooper was the main culprit and used his quickness & power to get after the QB, finishing the game with 6 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 TFL’s and 4 QB hits. He was a monster. The running game wasn’t much better either.

Seattle’s IOL didn’t afford Kenneth Walker III any room to run, due to being beaten on seemingly every play, which led to him being tackled behind the line of scrimmage multiple times. Neutralizing a key aspect of the offense.

The constant pressure on Geno Smith and lack of space to run crippled most of Seattle’s first half drives, except the one time Smith was able to string together a couple of passes and later run 34-yards into the endzone.

Punt Returner Dee Williams wasn’t effective in the slightest and, in fact, was one of the worst performing players on the afternoon. During one return, the ball hit him in the facemask and the Broncos dived on it, giving them the ball in the redzone. After that muff, Williams was gun shy and didn’t get close to another punt. It’s a position that will need to be re-thought immediately.

Another sour note from the first half were the TWO safeties. The first was semi-excusable due to the fact Julian Love intercepted rookie QB Bo Nix at the Seahawks 1-yard line, so the starting field position was already rough. The safety occurred when Geno Smith dropped back to pass and guard Anthony Bradford was flagged for a hold in the endzone, resulting in 2-points for the visiting team. Not a great individual moment for Bradford, but this should’ve spurred the offensive line to perform better.

The 2nd safety happened when the Seahawks started at their own 1-yard line again. This time due to PR Dee Williams being scared of returning the ball, after his muff, and instead let it bounce with the Broncos covering it well and downing it at the 1. On the first play of the drive, Zach Charbonnet received the ball, tried to run and was met by Jonathon Cooper and Zach Allen in the endzone, resulting in another 2-points for Denver. On review, the left guard went the wrong way, opening up a free rush lane for the Broncos to exploit. Both plays highlighted the self-inflicted wounds Seattle kept causing themselves.

Two-thirds of the team played about as poorly as possibly, yet Seattle was only down 13-9 at halftime. Thankfully, the defense was incredible and kept them in the game, even with the multiple awful positions they were put in. Mike Macdonald must’ve said something to refocus & calm the team down, as the 2nd half was much better in all phases of the game.

After not doing much in the first half, Kenneth Walker III was the focus of the offense in the 2nd half. This was evident as the first drive of the 2nd half saw him carry the ball 5 times over the course of a 6-play, 61 yard drive that resulted in a K-9 23-yard touchdown scamper. He scored a 2nd rushing TD, but it was negated after DK Metcalf was flagged for holding. His running unlocked the Seahawks offense, and Broncos defense.

Geno Smith also played better in the 2nd half, mostly due to the offensive line cleaning up their blocking, actually winning the line of scrimmage, and affording him more time in the pocket, leading to the passing game performing smoother.

The WR corps were led by the dependable, incomparable and timeless Tyler Lockett who enters his 10th NFL season, all with Seattle. Geno Smith trusts him the most and knows he’ll come through in the clutch, which is exactly what happened. Lockett finished with 6 receptions for 77 yards, including a sick one-handed grab late in the 4th quarter to ice the game for the Seahawks. 2nd year receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba flashed his outstanding talent, but faded in and out of the game. With only two targets, Ryan Grubb will have to figure out how to get more out of the former Ohio State product. DK Metcalf had a bad game. He’s the most talented offensive player on the team, and has shown the skill to stretch a defense, but didn’t show the game-breaking ability against Denver. Mostly due to the outstanding man-to-man coverage Patrick Surtain II played. Metcalf only saw 4 targets and hauled in 3 receptions for a lackluster 29 yards. Surprisingly, running back Zach Charbonnet made the biggest impact in the passing game after he snuck out of the backfield uncovered with Smith finding him for a 30-yard TD reception. The only tight end who recorded a catch was Noah Fant (2 catches, 11 yards). He’ll need to be integrated into the offense better going forward because at Washington TE’s were a large part of the attack and Fant is a good pass catcher. The distribution of targets will also need to be examined and tweaked by Grubb in the coming weeks. Mike Macdonald’s defense was as good as advertised.

The most exciting thing about the defense was how energetic they played; flying around, rallying to the ball and tackling in space. Even with the occasional longish run by a Denver running back, the defense didn’t get down on itself and instead worked to stifle the opposition even harder. It felt like they played angry, but under control.

Safety Julian Love, who was very good last season, continued his strong play with 12 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 pass defended and 1 interception. New inside linebacker Tyrel Dodson also made an immediate impact with 10 tackles, 1 TFL and 1 pass defended; a pass he really should’ve picked off. 2nd year cornerback Devon Witherspoon wasn’t tested much in coverage, but still impacted the game with 7 tackles and 1 pass defended. Interestingly, Mike Macdonald sent him off the edge as a blitzer numerous times, causing enormous pressure, but not finishing the play with a sack. Without a doubt, he will cause more than a few turnovers this season, and rack up some sacks, once he watches tape and cleans up his angles. He’s a special player. Safety Rayshawn Slater also had a solid Seahawks debut with 6 tackles. It was good to see CB Riq Woolen make a couple of tackles in space, as this was a major problem for him last season. He was also able to nab an interception too. The other new ILB, Jerome Baker, had a good outing with 5 tackles and 1 TFL. Overall, the pass rush was solid, getting in Bo Nix’s face and flushing him out of the pocket numerous times. Leading the charge was Boye Mafe (4 tackles, 1 sack, 2 TFL, & 2 QB hits), Derick Hall (2 tackles, 1 sack & 3 QB hits) and Leonard Williams (2 tackles & 4 QB hits). Those 3 caused major issues throughout the game for the highly-regarded Denver offensive line.

Broncos QB Bo Nix ended his NFL debut with two interceptions. The first one as a result of throwing under pressure and the 2nd one was down to a bad read by the quarterback trying to fit a pass into triple coverage. Most of his passes were at or behind the line of scrimmage and it felt like he couldn’t throw downfield more than 10-15 yards, which cut Sean Payton’s playbook down considerably. The one effective trait he displayed was the use of his legs; 5 carries for 35 yards and 1 touchdown. He finished the afternoon passing for 138 yards on 26/42 attempts, 0 TD’s, 2 interceptions and 2 sacks. Not the best stat line. This isn’t Oregon where you could throw behind or at the line of scrimmage on pretty much every play and his receiver would do the rest. Payton will need to adjust his offense to get the most out of Nix.

Even though the first half was hard to watch, Mike Macdonald will be ecstatic to get a win in his NFL debut. His team showed resiliency, an ability to overcome in-game setbacks and a desire to keep playing hard until the final whistle. Three qualities that will definitely come in handy throughout the season.

The shotty IOL play is a cause for much concern and something teams will target heavily going forward. Either the group will need some time to gel & gain some cohesiveness or Scott Huff has to design an easier/friendlier scheme for them or John Schneider will need to swing a trade and up the talent-level in the group. No matter the path forward something needs to be done ASAP. Geno Smith showed if you give him time, he can pick apart a defense. Also a good sign. Lastly, Mike Macdonald was hired in large part for his defensive acumen and it was clear the Seahawks will be very good on that side of the ball. There weren’t any coverage busts and the team’s fundamental’s looked sound. All 3 levels were solid, with the secondary shining the brightest.

Next up for Seattle is a trip back east to face a new look New England Patriots team in Week 2. It’ll be interesting to track how this team does in the eastern time zone, playing in the earlier 10am time slot. Something the team had issues with under former coach Pete Carroll.

GO HAWKS!