For the second time in three seasons The Seattle Seahawks presented the Denver Broncos their first loss to start the regular season, emerging victorious 26-20 on Sunday. The first loss of the Bo Nix era continues the Seahawks’ streak of dominance, as the Broncos have not won in Seattle since 2002.

Denver’s defense dominated the first half of the game, unsettling quarterback Geno Smith and the Seahawks offense with dynamic pass rushes and defensive line penetration, giving the Broncos four points with two safeties. But what looked like a long day for the raucous crowd of Seahawks fans quickly turned into a disaster, as the Broncos offense scored just one touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

I predicted that the Broncos would beat the Seahawks (27-24) in a close game against a hostile fan base on the road. But the most frustrating aspect of this loss isn’t the fact that I was wrong in my prediction or that the Broncos started the year with another loss.

Instead, Broncos Country must regret that the game could have been won by Sean Payton’s team.

Now let’s peel off the Band-Aid and get to three sad but true takeaways from the Broncos’ first loss.

The first chapter of the Nix-Payton novel begins with an embarrassing road loss. Denver’s dynamic duo was quickly humiliated by the smothering defense of Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, who became head coach for the first time this year, putting the Broncos on alert and highlighting the difference between the NFL preseason and the regular season.

As captain of a rookie team, Nix looked out of place for most of the game. He finished the game 26 of 42 passing for 138 yards and two interceptions, with 35 yards rushing and a touchdown rushing. He faced tremendous pressure, taking two sacks, taking multiple hits and looking annoyed and frustrated.

The Broncos’ offense continually faltered despite excellent field position and was inferior in virtually every statistical category, including total net yards, first downs, third down efficiency and penalties.

Payton did his rookie QB1 no favors in this game. The veteran playmaker abandoned his ineffective running attack early with his three-man team of Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime. Denver finished the game with 99 rushing yards on 25 attempts, but that stat was boosted by Nix’s five carries and a drive that included a four-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

The most alarming aspect of Denver’s disappointing offense was that it felt eerily similar to the 2023 season, in which Payton would panic and strictly throw the football. By waving the white flag on the most important principle of Payton’s offense, which is running the football, opposing defenders will continue to pounce on the Broncos’ rookie QB, putting Nix in the troubling position of having to play hero.

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Linebacker Alex Singleton intercepted Geno Smith on Seattle’s opening drive. When an away team’s defense starts the game with a series of quarterback pressures that force an interception, it’s usually a sign of good things to come. That should be doubly true when the Broncos defense, with two safeties, scores more points than their own offense in the first half against a Seahawks offense that faltered under Smith.

Instead, Vance Joseph’s defense left fans with more questions than answers. The game report shows two sacks on Smith, both by outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper, who played extremely well from the outside. The Broncos’ interior D-line – John Franklin-Myers, Zach Allen and Malcolm Roach – kept Seattle’s backfield in check in the first two quarters and posted productive statistics.

But as quickly as Denver’s pass rushers overran Seattle in the first half, they crumbled after halftime, succumbing to one of Joseph’s biggest flaws: a porous and pathetic run defense. Joseph’s defense allowed Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III to average 5.2 yards per carry at will, while their running attack shredded Denver’s defense with 33 attempts for 146 yards and two touchdowns.

Additionally, Smith found his rhythm by dissecting Denver’s secondary with 171 passing yards, including a touchdown to running back Zach Charbonnet that allowed Seattle to break and take control of the game after Denver led 13-9 at halftime.

Defenders of the team could argue that Joseph’s defense held up well, limiting the Seahawks’ impressive wideouts DK Metcalf and Tyler Locket to a combined nine catches for 106 yards. But stats don’t count in a win-loss game where “VJ” proved again that he struggles to adjust in the game after being successful early on.

When asked about the Broncos’ opening offense after halftime, Payton explained from the sidelines that Nix couldn’t do it all on his own and needed help. That help was never to come, however, as the rookie QB was forced to single-handedly lead a seven-play, 54-yard drive that resulted in his first NFL touchdown on the ground.

Seventh-round rookie wideout Devaughn Vele became Nix’s top receiver in pass receptions with eight catches for 39 yards(!), while Josh Reynolds led the team with 45 yards and a long run of 25. Nix’s teammate Courtland Sutton was limited to just four catches for 38 yards, while the Broncos’ tight ends were largely ineffective in the air, with Greg Dulcich recording just two catches for a measly 12 yards.

When Denver’s receivers caught a pass from Nix, they were immediately harassed by the Seahawks’ defenders, resulting in negative or almost nonexistent yards after contact, even though the rookie signal-caller missed several key throws in this game.

Instead of taking advantage of Williams and Estime’s productive advancement in the first few possessions, the diminutive McLaughlin was asked to assume the role of leader and was constantly bullied at the line of scrimmage. Payton’s offensive mismanagement of his playmaking resources was a disaster for Nix for most of the game.

None of this even mentions that Denver’s offense is likely in a tough spot following the injury to left tackle Garett Bolles, who left the game with a lower leg injury, presumably his ankle.

If the Broncos offense wants to improve its ability to move the chains and score points this season, Payton will need to get his playmakers out of the milk cartons and get to work quickly.

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