The transformed Seahawks under Mike Macdonald take on the revamped Broncos in their season opener

Denver (8-9) at Seattle (9-8)

Sunday, 4:05 PM EDT, CBS

BETMGM NFL ODDS: Seahawks win by 6 points.

Series record: Broncos lead 35-22

Last meeting: Seahawks defeated Broncos 17-16 on September 12, 2022 in Seattle.

Last season: Broncos 8-9; Seahawks 9-8

Broncos offense (2023): total (26), rushing (18), passing (24)

Broncos defense (2023): total (29), rushing (30), passing (22)

Seahawks offense (2023): total (21), rushing (28), passing (14)

Seahawks Defense (2023) Overall (29), Rushing (31), Passing (21)

Turnover differential (2023): Broncos plus-4, Seahawks plus-2

Broncos Player to Watch

Rookie quarterback Bo Nix enters his first NFL game with high expectations after being selected by the Broncos with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 draft. After a record 61 starts in college at Auburn and Oregon, Nix won a starting spot for the Broncos over veterans Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham, leading the team in scoring six of his first seven preseason drives. Nix won a record seven Pac-12 Player of the Week awards during his tenure with the Ducks, set a new NCAA single-season record with a 77.45% passing percentage in 2023 and earned second most yards in NCAA history.

Seahawks Player to Watch

After bursting onto the scene with a Pro Bowl season in 2023 in which he finished fourth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, second-year CB Devon Witherspoon is expected to thrive in a new defense under first-year coach Mike Macdonald. Witherspoon has emerged as leader in defense during the offseason, with the head coach raving about his explosive skills and intelligence on the pitch. Spoon in 2023, he had 79 tackles and eight tackles for loss, with three sacks, a touchdown and 15 interceptions.

A key clash

Sean Payton’s offense vs. Mike Macdonald’s defense. Payton has a highly regarded rookie at quarterback after his team had a disappointing offensive performance last year in his first year in Denver. Macdonald gets his first chance to unleash his heralded defensive scheme on an opponent during the regular season. Payton and Macdonald come in with great strengths on their respective sides of the court, and this should make for an entertaining matchup.

Key injuries

There are no players on the Broncos roster injury report heading into Week 1… The Seahawks are expected to be without TE Pharoah Brown (foot) and LB Uchenna Nwosu (knee). Nwosu is expected to miss the first two weeks.

Notes from the series

Former AFC West rivals the Seahawks won three of the last four matchups, going back to their dominant 43-8 victory over the Peyton Manning-led Broncos in the 2014 Super Bowl … The Broncos haven’t won in Seattle since a 31-8 victory over the Seahawks on Nov. 17, 2002 … The Seahawks defeated the Broncos 17-16 in their previous meeting on Sept. 12, 2022, which marked Russell Wilson’s return to Seattle after being traded last offseason … The teams have faced each other 57 times, but this will be only the fifth time they’ve met since 2010.

Statistics and stuff like that

The Seahawks have finished 9-8 in each of the last two seasons. … The Broncos have not finished with a winning record since finishing 9-7 in 2016. … A win by Seattle would be its 19th win in its last 22 home openers since 2003. … The Seahawks and Broncos have faced each other four times in the season opener dating back to 1987, with each team winning two games. … The Seahawks open the season at home for the 10th time in the last 25 seasons. … WR DK Metcalf needs seven receptions to pass Darrell Jackson for the most receiving yards in the first six seasons in franchise history, with 379. … WR Tyler Lockett needs six yards to become the second player in franchise history and the 113th player in NFL history with 8,000 receiving yards. … Lockett needs four touchdowns to pass Marshawn Lynch for third on Seattle’s list with 67 career touchdowns. … QB Geno Smith needs 454 yards to pass Rick Mirer for fifth on Seattle’s list with 9,095 career yards and 24 carries to pass Mirer for fifth on Seattle’s list with 815 career passes. … LB Boye Mafe had a career-high nine sacks, including one in seven straight games from Weeks 3-10 last season. … Nix is ​​the first Denver rookie to start a game in Week 1 since John Elway in 1983. … LB Alex Singleton finished third in the NFL with a career-best 175 rushes last season. He had at least 10 rushes in seven of his eight road games. … WR Courtland Sutton led Denver in catches (59), yards (772) and touchdowns (career-high: 10) in 2023, becoming the first Broncos WR with at least 10 touchdowns in a season since 2014. … Denver’s special teams unit averaged a franchise-record 16.3 yards per return last season, which was the best mark in the NFL. … Payton needs one win to tie former Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren for 19th most regular-season wins among coaches in league history. … Javonte Williams needs 119 rushing yards to reach 2,000 for his career. … Denver is 40-23-1 in season-opening games.

Fantasy Tip

For all the attention Seattle has received for what it might look like throwing the ball under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, the Seahawks still have Kenneth Walker III in the backfield. He’ll have to face a Denver defense that was third-worst at stopping the run last season, and Grubb hasn’t been shy about relying on his running backs as a college offensive coordinator, as evidenced by running back Dillon Johnson’s 1,195 rushing yards last season for Washington.

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