5 Takeaways from Seahawks-Broncos

K9 and the secondary shined, but what should Seattle be concerned about moving forward?

In my excitement for the Seahawks season and wanting to figure out what Mike Macdonald does on defense, I did it. I splurged for NFL+ and the All-22 film. Don’t worry - I cancelled MLB Extra Innings at the same time so it is actually a net win for the Elsner household. Thanks for caring. Between my new subscription to Pro Football Focus and the All-22 angle of replay, I have enough information to be dangerous and stupid. Like most armchair analysts. So without further ado, here are five takeaways from the season opener against the Denver Broncos.

Bo Don’t Know Love and Co.

Bo Nix was no John Elway in his first start. Actually he was better. Did you know John Elway was 1 for 8 before he got benched in his first NFL game? Bo Nix was better than that but he wasn’t very good. With that said, the Seahawks defensive backs didn’t make his life much easier either. Julian Love was Pro Football Focus’ top rated defensive back in week 1 while Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon finished in the top 13 overall. That is pretty ridiculous. But what really stood out to me was the pursuit and tackling from Love and fellow safety Rayshawn Jenkins. Their pursuit, read and react skills were on full display. It was so refreshing to see a defense that simply does not give up yards after the catch. However, they also didn’t give up many catches. Pro Football Focus gave the Seahawks the top rated pass defense after week one. Nix or no Nix, you have to love it as a start.

Julian Love intercepts Bo Nix at the goal line/Rio Giancarlo

Cross off the offensive line concerns? Maybe not.

The general consensus for the 2024 Seahawks season is that they have enough talent on defense, playmakers on offense and Geno is better than people think. The only aspect of the Seahawks roster that was holding people back from predicting a playoff berth was the offensive line. And boy did they deliver. The first half was like watching toddlers at Disneyland - chaos, confusion, and crying. The crying was mostly from me.

Using the eye test, it appeared that the Seahawks guards were getting dominated while the right tackle position wasn’t much better. Turns out that our eyes are seeing 20/20. Pro Football Focus graded Anthony Bradford with a 53.8 blocking grade, good for the 64th ranked guard in all of football. Somehow there were 10 guards with starting positions who rated worse than Bradford but that is hard to imagine. Did any of those other guards hold someone in the end zone for a safety? Laken Tomlinson theoretically was better with a ranking that put him 24th among all guards according to PFF, but he also blew a block while backed up and caused a safety. Not good guys.

While Bradford was a disaster, Tomlinson was average at best, and third-string Stone Forsythe at right tackle was pretty rough (51st overall at tackle), Charles Cross was literally the best tackle in the NFL this week. Cross got a 94.8 grade which put him above everyone else. In watching the All-22 film, Cross is absolutely crushing the Broncos over and over again. No penalties, no sacks and maybe the start of his ascendance to the top tier in the league at a crucial position.

You Better Call Tyrel (and Jerome)

When Bobby Wagner returned for the Seahawks in 2023, it was more than just a sentimental reunion. Wagner was brought back to shore up a shoddy defense, especially in the middle of the field. While the defense was still awful last year, Seahawks fans hold Wagner in high regard and were skeptical of adding little known linebackers in Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker. With Jordyn Brooks also leaving for Miami, what could we expect from these two newcomers? Turns out we should have expected an improvement.

What popped when watching the game was the speed of Dodson and Baker, especially in coverage. While they combined for three missed tackles, they ended up ranked 4th and 5th in the NFL in pass coverage among all linebackers. Contrast their performance with Wagner (62nd among linebackers with a 56.3 grade) and Brooks (60th among linebackers with a 56.9 grade) and there is reason to be excited about the youth movement in the middle of the Seahawks defense.

Walk(er) This Way

My goodness. Kenneth Walker III is really good. While Ryan Grubb did some nice things with blocking schemes in the run game, the difference between Walker and Charbonnet is striking on film. Charbonnet is a good running back who will put his head down and try to run someone over. But K9 is elite in his reads, his explosiveness and his ability to cut back. It is really absurd how good he is. The Hawks need Walker to be healthy this week and all weeks for them to reach their potential.

Lock(ett) of the Week: Pass the Rock

The Seahawks are going to need to figure out the passing game in order to compete with the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers. Even the Arizona Cardinals played well in week one. While it was awesome to see Kenneth Walker III get it going in the second half, his injury rate means that the Hawks can’t rely on him week to week. (Walker is already a question mark for week 2). Seattle has to be able to pass the ball with more efficiency, better explosiveness and with more time in the pocket. In week one, Geno Smith had only 2.54 seconds to throw on each drop back, placing the Hawks 6th worst in the league. With Geno rushed, he reverted to finding his old reliable friend in Tyler Lockett for six catches on seven targets. However, the Seahawks need to unlock the combination of Jaxon Smith-Njigba and D.K. Metcalf for this offense to take off. Metcalf had four targets (three catches) and JSN had only two targets (both catches). This is not the offense that can compete with San Francisco and Los Angeles.