The Denver Broncos suffered a heartbreaking 17-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on the road in Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season.
Here are five quick takeaways from Denver’s first game of the season.
Is the defense missing Vic Fangio?
The Broncos’ defense came out flat in Seattle. Is the team missing ex-coach Fangio, a defensive mastermind? Or maybe they’re just rusty after the starters sat out preseason? Either way, Denver’s unit missed way too many tackles, especially in the first half. New defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero needs better performances from his players going forward.
Still no solution at inside linebacker
Some of the defensive problems could be attributed to the absence of inside linebacker Josey Jewell, who missed Monday’s game with a calf injury. Without Jewell, Denver’s linebackers were a huge weakness in Seattle.
Each of the Seahawks’ touchdowns could be pinned on a Broncos linebacker. On the first score, a blitzing Alex Singleton missed a would-be sack on Geno Smith, who then connected with Will Dissly on a touchdown pass. Later in the game, fellow linebacker Jonas Griffith was beat in coverage on Smith’s touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson.
Denver has struggled to cover tight ends for years, and it’s probably no coincidence that they haven’t used an early-round draft pick on an inside linebacker in years. The Broncos have been putting off addressing the position and it’s hurting them, especially in passing situations.
Poor execution across the board
Denver’s linebackers struggled in coverage, the entire team struggled with sloppy penalties (12 for 106 yards), and coach Nathaniel Hackett struggled with decision making.
Facing a fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line, Hackett decided to line up in a shotgun formation and run. A quarterback sneak would have been a much higher percentage play call. Instead, Melvin Gordon fumbled at the goal line. The Broncos were later in the same position at the one-yard line and called a similar play that ended in a Javonte Williams fumble.
Later in the game, Hackett decided to attempt a 64-yard field goal instead of allowing Wilson to try to pick up a fourth-and-five near midfield. Wilson was brought in to win games and Hackett didn’t give him that opportunity.
Denver’s players could have performed better on Monday, and Hackett could have performed better as well. He’s a rookie coach. Broncos fans will hope he learns from Monday’s mistakes.
Russell Wilson loves Javonte Williams
The Broncos had two standout bright spots on Monday: outside linebacker Bradley Chubb (two sacks) on defense and running back Javonte Williams on offense.
Williams ran well (aside from his fumble), rushing seven times for 43 yards in Seattle. He also proved to be a valuable weapon in the passing game as Wilson targeted Williams a team-high 12 times against the Seahawks.
Williams ended up with 11 receptions for 65 receiving yards, giving him 108 yards from scrimmage on 18 touches in Week 1.
There is some good news for Denver
Monday’s loss was ugly, but there is some good news.
The Broncos beat themselves on Monday, and that’s obviously not good, but the team is capable of fixing many of the mistakes that cost them a win.
Better play calling at the goal line could have resulted in two more touchdowns. Defenders used to tackling in preseason might have prevented the Seahawks from scoring two first-half touchdowns. Jewell might have made a difference at inside linebacker.
Now that Hackett has the first-game jitters out of his system and the defenders are used to tackling again, with Jewell potentially returning next week, Denver might not be plagued by the same issues the team faced in Week 1 going forward. Wilson’s certainly not going to face the emotion of returning to Seattle again this year.
The Broncos are 0-1, but the mistakes they made against the Seahawks are correctable, which gives hope for the team’s outlook going forward.
