Week 1 of the NFL season continues on Sunday afternoon as the Denver Broncos host the Seattle Seahawks in what is expected to be a low-scoring defensive showdown. Kickoff is set for 4:25 EST on Sunday, September 9, at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. The game will be televised on FOX.
Oddsmakers list the Broncos as 3-point favorites, a line that has increased a little bit after Denver opened at -1.5. The total for the game is currently set at 42 points.
Seattle enters the 2018-19 NFL season as a team with a bit of an identity crisis. The Seahawks are definitely in the midst of a large transition, especially defensively. The “Legion of Boom” is a thing of the past after Richard Sherman left for San Francisco and Kam Chancellor decided to hang up his cleats. The defensive line also lost Cliff Avril, who was a huge part of the Seattle’s success at stopping the run. One other thing to watch for on Sunday is the debut of LB Shaqueem Griffin, who was named starter for the game this week. Griffin had his left hand amputated as a child, and was drafted this April after excelling at UCF the past several seasons.
On offense, things look to be slightly brighter. QB Russell Wilson continues to carry the bulk of the load, especially with #1 WR Doug Baldwin reportedly still being slightly bothered by a nagging knee injury. WR Tyler Lockett will also continue to have a significant role with this group – although he still isn’t a consistent enough threat. He didn’t record his first touchdown until Early December and only had two total during the entire 2017-18 season. with only two touchdowns during the 2017-18 season. It will be interesting to see how Seattle decides to use rookie RB Rashaad Penny on Sunday, as the SDSU stand-out was taken late in the 1st round in April to join Chris Carson in the backfield.
All eyes will be on new Broncos starting quarterback Case Keenum, who will look to provide Denver with some much needed stability on offense. Keenum had a great season in Minnesota last year after coming off the bench to replace an injured Sam Bradford. After setting career highs in passing yards (3,547) and touchdowns (22), Keenum will almost certainly immediately improve a pathetic Broncos offense that only averaged 18.1 PPG last year.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Broncos are once again led by veteran linebacker Von Miller. Miller recorded 10+ sacks again last season, and has recorded the most sacks in the entire NFL since 2011 (83.5). Chris Harris Jr. and Bradley Roby lead a talented Denver secondary that should still excel despite losing Aquib Talib to the Rams. Justin Simmons and Darian Stewart make the safety position another area of strength for this Denver defense that is perennially strong.
Denver has an unbelievable record at home in Week 1 games over the past decade or so, and I expect that trend to continue this week against the Seahawks. Yes, Russell Wilson is always a threat and will likely contend for the MVP award once again this season. However, there are simply too many questions marks on defense for the Seahawks with the departure of so many key elements. I fully expect this new-look Broncos offense to start things off on the right foot here in Week 1 at home – Keenum should be able to find some success through the air, and I expect WR Emmanuel Sanders to have a big game.
It was also recently announced that rookie Denver RB Royce Freeman, and 2018 3rd round selection from Oregon, will be the starter for this game. I expect him to provide Keenum with plenty of support on the ground, especially if Sanders is able to draw some more defenders into the slot if he finds some early success.
This game will likely come down to the respective changes that both teams have made on opposite sides of the ball. Denver should be much better on offense this season, while Seattle is unquestionably weaker on defense. Although Russell Wilson is always a threat to win a game single-handedly, I have a hard time seeing that happening on the road against an extremely tough defense. Wilson was also the most-sacked QB in the entire NFL last season, so I’m sure Von Miller and Co. are excited to put up some big defensive numbers on Sunday.
Finally, although it’s a bit of a cliche and often over-used, I expect the high altitude to factor in a little bit this weekend as well. Without having a couple weeks of regular season action to get their legs under them, heading to Mile High Stadium in Week 1 after such a long offseason will make things even tougher for the Seahawks. Expect Denver to win this one by 5+ points and cover the spread in a relatively low-scoring affair – I like the under on 42 as well.