The Broncos fell to the Seahawks 26-20 in what felt like an unwatchable game. The offense struggled mightily all day and QB Bo Nix looked overwhelmed in his first-ever NFL start as he threw for 138 yards with 0 TDs and 2 Ints on 26/42 passing. It wasn't a pretty game, but fans mustn't overreact to Nix's performance. Yes, it wasn't very good but having your first start against a Mike McDonald-led defense on the road vs Seattle is a brutal way to start your career.
It was evident from the start that the gameplan was to get the ball out of Nix's hand quickly and establish the run and the Broncos found some success with it early on. But I think as the game went on, the run game wasn't as effective and Denver put the ball more in Bo's hands and the results didn't turn out the way Sean Payton was hoping it would. Denver was only able to muster up 99 rushing yards and a good chunk of them came in the final drive when Nix started to take off more running the football. I would like to see Payton stick with the run even when it isn't working. Javonte Williams having only 8 carries and Audric Estime having 2 is not a recipe for success. The game was mainly within reach for pretty much the whole game so I felt like they could've committed to the run a bit more. Having Nix throw the ball 42 times is just asking for trouble.
Going back to Nix, his 2 turnovers screamed "rookie mistakes". His first interception was him staring down Courtland Sutton down the left sideline in the red zone and the second one was him trying to fit a ball in triple coverage. The 2 interceptions were tough to watch but are things that can be corrected as he gains more experience. I think it is way too early to judge if he is the franchise guy or not so let's take it week by week and stay patient with the young QB.
There are still some positives I want to talk about. That defense, especially in the first half, was ferocious! They became the first team to force 2 safeties in the same game since 2011. The pass rush consistently got to Geno and the run defense stifled Walker for a half. They did struggle a bit in the second half as they started getting gashed on the ground as Kenneth Walker started making some big plays and the Seahawks finished with 146 yards on the ground. In a game where your offense gives you nothing, It's hard to blame the defense for slowing down as the game progressed. Despite the second-half struggles, I loved what I saw from this defense. Another sign of encouragement was the final scoring drive. The Broncos' offense until then had done absolutely nothing and Nix had just thrown his second interception. But in that last drive, he made some nice throws including a tight window throw on 4th down and he made some plays with his legs. After having a nightmare of a game the first 55 minutes, I think it was important for Nix and the entire offense to put together a drive in the end and finish the game on a more positive note. Yes, they ended up losing the game, but it was important for the young QB to have some positive takeaways from his first career NFL game.
Yeah, being 0-1 sucks but it's a long season! Onto Pittsburgh!
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