BRONCOS

The Broncos are going to beat the snot out of the Seahawks in Week 1

Aug 30, 2022, 6:00 AM

As Week 1 gets closer, the conversation around the Broncos and Seahawks Monday Night Football opener gets spicier.

Somehow, someway, folks have talked themselves into the fact this will be a competitive game. The oddsmakers currently have the spread at 6.5 points, with Denver as a road favorite. That number is low. This one won’t be close. The Broncos are going to blast Seattle in Russell Wilson’s revenge tour.

The fans can boo all they want. Get mad at Wilson for wanting out of a situation that wasn’t working. The fact Seahawks management picked 70-year-old Pete Carroll over a QB in his prime is mind boggling. But that’s their problem.

When former Broncos QB Drew Lock threw three interceptions in Seattle’s preseason finale, Carroll had seen enough. After being cryptic and saying the QB competition could drag on for weeks, Carroll decided to name Geno Smith the starter in his postgame press conference. Wilson vs. Smith? Are you kidding me? This is an incredible mismatch.

When the dust settles on the 2022 season, the Broncos are hoping the year ends with a trip to Glendale for the Super Bowl. The Seahawks will be lucky if they’re not picking in the top-5 of next year’s draft. Seattle has 4-13 written all over it; Denver looks like a 12-5 team to me.

After a great preseason debut against the Cowboys, a game to forget in Buffalo and a nice rebound effort against the Vikings, the Broncos look ready. Even if training camp has been light and the majority of the starters haven’t played a down, new head coach Nathaniel Hackett is choosing health and freshness over wearing his guys out.

Cornerback Pat Surtain II is going to be a star. Safety Justin Simmons already is one. And Wilson will take this offense to heights we haven’t seen since the day Peyton Manning retired. The Broncos are going to be fun again, and this journey could not get off to an easier start.

Last year the NFL schedule makers did the Broncos a big favor, opening up against the Giants, Jaguars and Jets. The Broncos, even with the inept Vic Fangio at the helm, got off to a fast 3-0 start. It’s what they had to do, but it couldn’t help them from still finishing 7-10 and missing the playoffs for a sixth straight year.

The NFL must have felt bad for the Broncos, because starting off 2022 with the Seahawks and Houston Texans is a gift. They might be the two worst teams in football.

But the schedule does get tougher as the season goes along, highlighted by two late year matchups with the Chiefs and trips to Baltimore and the defending champion Rams on Christmas Day. The Broncos need to be at least 6-2 come their bye week, if not 7-1 or even 8-0. There’s potential there, but they have to execute.

And that starts with the cupcake that is the Seahawks in Week 1. The whole country will be tuned in, as this land is football crazy. Not only will Wilson be making his Broncos debut, but Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will call Monday Night Football on ESPN for the first time. It’s must-see TV for not only Denver, but the whole United States.

Without looking it up, how many Seahawks can you name off the top of your head? Five? Six? Seven? Sure DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are a nice receiving duo, but it doesn’t help when they have no one competent to throw them the football.

Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and The Legion of Boom aren’t walking through that door. The Seahawks defense is a far cry from the group that blasted Manning and the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.

For the next 13 days you will hear people, both locally and nationally, try to talk you into why this game will be close. Don’t take the bait. The Broncos are going to throttle the Seahawks in Week 1.

And all those salty Seattle fans will realize trading Wilson in his prime was the biggest mistake the organization ever made.

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The Broncos are going to beat the snot out of the Seahawks in Week 1