It would be easy to tell a tale about a former hero, turned villain, and how the hometown team exacted cleansing revenge. That would soil the true story of what occurred Monday night. Certainly, there was vitriol in the building directed squarely at our former quarterback. It was the unfettered joy and jubilation at games end, though, that left the more lasting and revealing impression about what this game meant. Seahawks fans have been told all offseason how their franchise was foolish and doomed to irrelevance. We were a guaranteed laughing stock in the NFL. The arrows were not only coming from the outside. We have been at each other’s throats for years about whether Wilson or Pete Carroll was the enemy within. In one ebullient hazy summer evening, we were once again united as a Seahawks family in our truest form: defiant and petulant underdogs. Doubt us. Discount us. Dismiss us. We will rain down hellfire on you that lifts even the most milquetoast of rosters to victory over your overrated, overconfident, and unsuspecting darlings. Welcome back to Seattle, motherfuckers.
The Pacific Northwest prides itself on being real. The undeniabilty of nature that surrounds us and grounds us. The dress code that emphasizes comfort and frowns on trying too hard. The music that is raw and heartfelt. The celebration of warm weather, while simultaneously disdaining hot weather. We are bound by these things, across party, gender, and religious lines. We are proud to live where we live, even as so many are confounded by our choice.
Somewhere along the way from Super Bowl victory to #LetRussCook, we lost our way and we lost our identity. We were no longer underdogs, but we were also not good enough to be bullies. Outsiders said we were entering purgatory by trading our franchise quarterback, but we were already established residents. There was a limit to where we were going with Wilson at the helm. He and his zealotous fans would have you believe the only way to contend for another ring was to fire everyone else and build everything around him and his quarter-billion dollar contract.
Carroll and John Schneider had a different perspective of how to reach for the ring again. They preached a philosophy that centered around no one person being larger than the team. An approach that starts with physicality, tough running, hard hitting defense, and limiting mistakes while forcing opponents into making them. It would involve a step back in order to get the young talent the team needed to leap forward. Jody Allen and Bert Kolde listened. Wise move.
There are myriad reasons to criticize Carroll, but his football philosophy could not be a better fit for the mentality of PNW fans. Gritty. Strong. Defensive. Unassuming. It is the football embodiment of who we are.
When Wilson stepped onto that field, he not only opposed the Seahawks and Carroll, he opposed this city.
We smiled and showed him the exit as we have done to so many people who have visited and don’t appreciate what we have here. The fewer of you here, the better.
What I saw and felt in that stadium as the result became clear was a combination or pride and camaraderie. We were thumbing our noses at biased national media, old rival fans from the AFC West, newer rival fans in the NFC West, and yes, to our old quarterback. It was tastier than a hazy IPA, a fresh king salmon, or a fresh cup of coffee in the morning.
What nobody could have guessed was that the player who may have entered the game with lowest of expectations would be the primary reason for this bounty of goodness. Geno Smith has been a bad quarterback throughout his career. He turned the ball over too much. He took too many sacks. He was neither dynamic nor clutch. His time had come and gone. The best anyone could hope for was that he would be the classic game manager who avoided mistakes and got the team into the right plays.
Smith told his own redemption story in the first half of this game when he authored arguably the best half of football we have seen in at least 1.5 years in Seattle. He was almost impossibly poised, regularly getting the team to the line with plenty of time to assess the defense, make checks, and execute the play. His pocket presence was unlike anything we have seen from him. He avoided pressure, stepped up in the pocket, and even dazzled with improvisational plays like the first touchdown pass to Will Dissly.
He was accurate on intermediate throws, and on-time with check downs to running backs when his progressions led him there. If #adulting was a QB, Smith would have been it that half. Some will say he regressed in the second half. My initial assessment is that the Broncos made some adjustments in coverages and Seattle got nothing from their run game. Smith avoiding the temptation to play hero ball and force throws or hold onto the ball too long was a good sign, even if the offense stalled.
Shane Waldron and Andy Dickerson are more on the hook for the paltry second half numbers than Smith. We still have not seen Waldron outmatch an opponent when it comes to in-game adjustments. Kudos to him, though, for a shrewd game plan that started with the goal of targeting the tight ends and exploiting the Broncos linebackers.
We saw so much from Smith that we rarely saw from Wilson: tight ends leading the team in receptions, throws over the middle., slants to DK Metcalf, on-time checkdowns, throw aways to avoid sacks. The way the Seahawks won made it that much sweeter.
This was a testament to team football. The young offensive line had some tough moments, but also limited the Broncos supposedly vicious pass rush to four quarterback hits and two sacks. Rashaad Penny made the most out of very limited space to run. Eight different receivers caught passes. The special teams did their jobs splendidly in the kicking game and kick coverage. And that defense…
There may be nothing that better demonstrates the heart of a defense than how they defend their goal line. This band of no-names roared like lions when it mattered most. They beat back Denver not once, not twice, not thrice, but four different times. Their third down defense was excellent for most of the game as well.
Newcomer Uchenna Nwosu (pronounced new-woh-sue) had one of the best games, with a sack and a forced fumble at the goal line. He was an unheralded free agent signing. At just 25, and an ascending edge player who fits the new Seahawks 3-4 defensive scheme perfectly, Nwosu gave reason to hope he could prove to be a shrewd addition.
The Broncos offensive line is considered by some to one of the best pass blocking lines in the league. Seattle struggled to generate consistent pressure, but did register eight QB hits and 18 pressures. Wilson took some big hits as well.
Maybe the most encouraging defensive performance came from rookie Tariq Woolen. Yes, he was whistled for two pass interference penalties. I believe the first one was a savvy play from the Broncos receiver who hugged Woolen into his body and initiated the contact. Woolen learned from it and was sure to turn his body back to the ball when Wilson tried the same play later. Shaquill Griffin became a high-priced free agent without ever doing that in his four years here. Woolen adjusted within a few plays.
Even the pass interference penalties were close coverage. The second was called a grab, which was a fair call even though it was mild and had nothing to do with the incompletion. Woolen may not relinquish his job as a starter.
Michael Jackson got the start opposite him and struggled in tackling while doing a solid job in coverage. He recovered two fumbles and got some big hits in.
I still believe Sidney Jones is a better cover corner, but Jackson is no slouch. He plays with ferocity and a chip on his shoulder. Cheering for guys like that is always easy.
Once Artie Burns returns from his groin injury and Tre Brown returns from the injured reserve, the Seahawks are going to be spoiled for choice at the position.
Justin Coleman is not the answer at nickel. He was bad in coverage and awful in tackling. He nearly lost the game on the third down play at the end when he was one-on-one with the Broncos back in the flat and didn’t even get a finger on him, leaving open a much shorter fourth down conversion opportunity than it should have been. Thankfully, Nathaniel Hackett is a doofus.
One of Burns, Jones, Jackson or Brown should be able to supplant him and improve the overall secondary play.
The big blow was the loss of Jamal Adams to another injury, and one that sounds like a season ender. He was playing so well, and was in position to be utilized in a way that showcased his many unique talents. Josh Jones is a fine backup, but is a big downgrade as a starter.
Jordyn Brooks was disappointing in his first game as the featured linebacker. Denver attacked the edges in the run game regularly and went after the linebackers in coverage. Brooks was too often caught up in the wash and unable to fill the gaps, leading to big runs to the outside.
Cody Barton, who is oft-maligned on this blog and podcast, was a huge negative in the run game as well, but did have a sack and made some solid tackles. Relative to expectations, he had the better night of the two.
Seattle is going to have to figure out how to defend the edge better right away. The 49ers live on the edge with their run attack and have better tackles than the Broncos and a better offensive scheme.
I was unsure who the team would turn to when Barton left the field late. They actually inserted a third safety. Josh Jones moved to inside linebacker and Ryan Neal came in as safety. Don’t be surprised if the team signs Blake Martinez this week to add depth inside. Veteran contracts are not guaranteed after the first week, so the team can sign him with less risk.
Most of the story nationally will be about the bizarre decision by Hackett to kick a field goal at the end. Broncos fans will talk about how they should have won if not for a couple fluke fumbles. The way I see it, Seattle was robbed a few spots by the refs, including near the goal line, dropped multiple interceptions on drives that resulted in Broncos points, had some big calls go against them, and had a fumble of their own. They never trailed despite not scoring a point in the second half.
This was a convincing win. It does not mean the Seahawks are suddenly Super Bowl contenders. It may well mean the Broncos are not, which was no surprise to me. Every one of their losses this year will boost the Seahawks trade compensation as the first and second round picks tick up. Being the first team to hand them a fat “L” was so satisfying.
Success this season will not be measured by wins and losses in the aggregate. There will be some games that matter more. This was one of them. Success will be measured by whether we can see signs of renewal. The tall evergreens that made this team powerful in the past have fallen and decayed, leaving soil to plant anew. The question is whether new seeds sprout and grow to the same heights. Is this ground fertile or toxic? For one splendid night, it felt like a bumper crop was around the corner.