Denver, CO
Enemy Reaction 2024: Denver Broncos edition!
The Seattle Seahawks took care of business against the Denver Broncos yet again. This was far from a clean game, but the Seahawks overcame their mistakes and prevailed 26-20 win Mike Macdonald’s NFL regular season head coaching debut.
And you know what that means…
It’s Enemy Reaction time! If you’re new to this series, after every Seahawks win (with few exceptions) we revisit the key moments of the game through the lenses of our respective game threads. I must admit that with more people watching on streaming services, the lag between streamed broadcasts and regular TV broadcasts (which is still on a slight delay in itself, mind you!) have made game threads a little bit more difficult to follow. That won’t deter me in the slightest, but if you see some unconnected things to specific plays, you have a valid explanation.
As usual, the Broncos comments are courtesy of Mile High Report.
Geno Smith intercepted by Alex Singleton on second play, leading to field goal (3-0 DEN)
Julian Love picks off Bo Nix at the 1-yard line (3-3)
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Anthony Bradford commits hold in the end zone, Broncos regain lead (5-3 DEN)
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Dee Williams muffs punt, Broncos recover and kick another field goal (8-3 DEN)
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Geno Smith with the wheels, and the Seahawks’ first touchdown! (9-8 SEA)
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Not another safety! (10-9 DEN)
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Kenneth Walker zips down the sideline, dives for the go-ahead score (16-13 SEA)
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K’Von Wallace forces Jaleel McLaughlin fumble, Jerome Baker recovers, Seahawks kick a FG (19-13 SEA)
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Geno Smith finds wide open Zach Charbonnet for a touchdown (26-13 SEA)
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Bo Nix throws into triple coverage, Riq Woolen comes away with the pick (26-13 SEA)
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Bo Nix scrambles for his first NFL touchdown (26-20 SEA)
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Geno Smith and Tyler Lockett call game (26-20 SEA FINAL)
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Bonus Twitter content!
Imagine the feeling if Bo Nix dominates Seattle in week 1, instantly proving he’s the franchise QB we’ve craved since Manning.
Imagine. That. Feeling.
— Denver Broncos 365 (@DailyBroncos) August 14, 2024
He’s a rookie, don’t overreact. We’ll be okay
— Denver Broncos 365 (@DailyBroncos) September 8, 2024
This is the Seahawks Super Bowl lol, beating a rebuilding team, can’t wait for the 49ers to whoop their ass like always
— Michael (@RespectMyCos) September 8, 2024
Post-Game: Sean Payton failed Bo Nix (Troy Renck, Denver Post)
Sunday represented Payton’s 276th game as a head coach. It was the first for Seattle’s Mike Macdonald.
So why were the Seahawks more efficient, more opportunistic and more disciplined? Why were they able to make halftime adjustments, something Payton explained as overrated last season? How did Seattle offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb figure out between bites of fruit and sips of Gatorade to feed the ball to running back Kenneth Walker III?
This is the clarity the Broncos require from Payton. He needed to win the chessboard. He has to be held to a higher standard. On a team speckled with young players and one superstar (cornerback Pat Surtain II), the boss is the most accomplished and highest-paid employee. He cannot have a bad day.
There were plenty of fingerprints on this loss, but Payton deserves the most blame.
Post-Game: Bo Nix’s growing pains on full display (Jon Heath, Broncos Wire)
Bo Nix struggled: Bottom line, Sunday’s poor performance was on Nix. Teammates could have helped him out overall, but the QB only had himself to blame for poor footwork, staring down receivers, throwing passes behind his targets and throwing into triple coverage. Nix’s decision-making has to improve and his passes need to be more accurate. The good news is that the rookie never quit and the scored late (on the ground) to help the Broncos get back in the game. Nix’s rookie growing pains were on full display on Sunday, but fans in Denver will hope for better days ahead.
Post-Game Video: Rookie struggles for Bo Nix (MileHighSports)
Enemy Preaction: New England Patriots
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Broncos fans should be thankful that Ian Rapoport is indicating Russell Wilson might miss Week 2, or else I had the funniest Enemy Reaction idea ever for this weekend.
I said several weeks back that I thought the New England Patriots game would be tougher than it looked on paper because of their defense, and even though Christian Barmore is out and Matt Judon has been traded that still figures to be the case. While the Patriots offense has a better quarterback than Bo Nix, as well as a rushing attack that lit up the Cincinnati Bengals, I think this game will be decided by how much the Seahawks offense can improve upon last week’s performance. Considering the brutal stretch of the Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, and San Francisco 49ers to come very soon, this feels like a sneaky important game to bank.
Thanks for reading and go ‘Hawks!
Denver, CO
Lisa Calderón will run against Denver Mayor Mike Johnston in 2027
Calderón, who is the first person besides Johnston to enter the race, placed third in the last mayoral election, narrowly missing the final runoff. She also placed third when she ran in 2019.
“Across neighborhoods, people are urging me to run and telling me the same thing: despite Mike Johnston’s campaign promises, things have only gotten harder,” she said in a news release.
Calderón is the executive director of Women Uprising, an organization that trains progressive women in Colorado to run for office. Calderón helped form the group after a similar organization, Emerge Colorado, disbanded amid a rift with its national parent organization.
In her announcement, Calderón focused on criticisms of Johnston, who she said has been bad for Denver. Calderón said she decided to run for mayor again after Johnston laid off 169 employees last August in response to an estimated $200 million budget gap.
“Someone has to stand up and take him on. I came very close to beating him once, and I am the best person to challenge him and win,” she said.
Calderón was also a frequent critic of Johnston’s predecessor, Michael Hancock. She butted heads with him often while serving as the top staffer for former City Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca.
During her campaign, she plans to focus on cost-of-living issues, community-based safety efforts, a housing-first homelessness strategy, bike and pedestrian safety, workers’ issues and small businesses.
Campaign materials obtained by The Denver Post included promises like reinstating laid-off workers, ending the city’s contract with the controversial surveillance company Flock, building more affordable housing and expanding universal child care.
Calderón, a fourth-generation Denverite, holds four degrees — a bachelor’s in English, a master’s in liberal studies, a law degree and a doctorate in education.
Johnston became mayor in 2023 after soundly defeating Kelly Brough, the former CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, by more than 10 percentage points in a runoff election. The two faced off after an initial general election with 17 candidates.
Calderón planned to formally file for the election at 10 a.m. Tuesday. She will host a campaign kick-off Feb. 11 at Su Teatro Cultural & Performing Arts Center.
Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.
Denver, CO
Broncos’ Pro Bowlers embrace Davis Webb’s potential play-calling ascent: ‘It’d be awesome’
SAN FRANCISCO, California — A knowing smile flashed across Garett Bolles’ face at the simple mention of the name “Davis,” the offensive wunderkind with a new role but uncertain responsibilities in Denver’s building.
Bolles, the Broncos’ rugged left tackle, is 33 years old. A full two years older than the 31-year-old Davis Webb. Both were drafted in 2017: Bolles, a first-round offensive lineman, Webb, a third-round quarterback. Fast-forward to the present , and Bolles is about to play a 10th NFL season with Webb as his new offensive coordinator in Denver.
So what of the possibility that Sean Payton could hand over the play-calling reins to Webb, too?
“It’d be awesome, man,” Bolles said Monday after the AFC’s Pro Bowl practice, grinning. “DW is the best. We love him. I’m excited to see what he can do for us.”
On Monday, nearly 1,000 miles away from a rapidly-changing facility in Denver, the Broncos’ best and brightest gathered at the Moscone Center in San Francisco for a couple of days of Pro Bowl festivities and basking in football regality. Bolles was having more fun than anyone, palling around with fellow Pro Bowl contemporaries and snapping the ball during the AFC’s walkthrough. Receiver Courtland Sutton caught a few half-speed passes from former Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco, now a veteran with the Cincinnati Bengals. Defensive lineman Zach Allen played in an afternoon Dodgeball game and accidentally beaned another Pro Bowl lineman in the face.
Still, widespread mirth masked an unmistakable melancholy. All of them wished they were in the Bay Area for a few days longer, a week after an AFC title-game loss to New England that ended their season short of a Super Bowl.
“I just try to avoid the Super Bowl ads and everything as much as possible,” Allen told The Denver Post. “Every time (I) see it, I get pretty upset. Maybe after the game, I’ll calm down a little bit.”
Aftershocks from that Patriots loss have rippled through the Broncos’ staff. Denver fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, receivers coach Keary Colbert and cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch. Senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael and defensive passing-game coordinator Jim Leonhard left for jobs with the Buffalo Bills. But Denver has ensured a couple of key coaching retentions, as Payton officially hired Webb as his OC Monday — in a move that could signal Payton is ready to pass off play-calling duties for the first time in an 18-year head-coaching career.
Broncos lifers are on board.
“Whatever happens, happens,” Sutton told The Post when asked about Webb potentially being his play-caller. “I love Davis, and so if he gets the opportunity to call the plays — I think he has the heartbeat of the offense. And so everybody’s going to enjoy having him, if that is what winds up happening.”
The Broncos, too, will all but surely see Vance Joseph back as defensive coordinator in 2026. After two straight seasons in command of the NFL’s No. 3 defense, the league’s head-coaching carousel spun through 10 jobs without any team hiring Joseph.
“Selfishly, I’m not (upset),” outside linebacker Nik Bonitto told The Post, “because I love VJ. And I love having him be my DC. But, no, his time will come soon, for sure.”
It’s slightly bittersweet. Joseph was one of the NFL’s hottest coaching names at the start of the cycle, and received interview requests from six of seven initial teams with head-coach openings. But interest quickly fizzled, and Joseph was left on the outside looking in again. Not a single Black candidate was hired this cycle.
“He deserves it,” Allen said. “I mean, he would make an incredible head coach. He’s a leader of men. Like, he checks every single box. I don’t know what the teams are looking for.
“But for us, it’s good news,” Allen continued. “So we’ll take it, however it plays out. So, yeah. He definitely deserves a shot. But the fact that we get to steal another year of him, we’ll take it.”
Allen called Joseph “the top assistant coach in football,” and he and Bonitto both lauded the benefit of continuity for Denver’s defense under Joseph in 2026.
“I know all the defensive guys are excited,” Bonitto said of Joseph’s return, “so it’s going to be really good.”
With Webb and Joseph entrenched, Denver will now turn its attention to free agency, needing to make decisions on a slew of key in-house free agents. And just the same as with staff, players continue to advocate for retention in the building, as the Broncos try to build past a No. 1 seed and a sudden end to 2025.
“I think getting Nik signed, getting Zach signed, myself getting signed — I think getting those guys signed was huge,” Sutton said. “And I think we’re going to have another big offseason of signing guys back that helped us, and will continue to help us.”
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Denver, CO
Broncos officially interviewed Davis Webb for their offensive coordinator position
According to the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson, the Denver Broncos officially interviewed pass game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Davis Webb for their vacant offensive coordinator position. Tomasson adds that sources have told him that Webb is the leading candidate for the job.
The Broncos surprisingly fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi last week after head coach Sean Payton expressed some displeasure about the offense during the team’s end-of-the-year press conference. He is a longtime assistant coach for Payton, so this was a surprising and significant change to his coaching staff. The leading candidate from the start to replace Lombardi was pass game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Davis Webb, who is viewed as an up-and-coming coach in the NFL. However, at the time, Webb was in the running to be the Las Vegas Raiders head coach and had multiple other teams interested in him to be their offensive coordinator.
So, the Broncos had some competition for Webb’s services. However, Webb would later withdraw from the Raiders head coaching search, and many of the teams interested in Webb as an offensive coordinator would go on to hire other coaches to fill their vacancies. While nothing is official, all signs do point to Webb returning to the Broncos, but this time as their offensive coordinator.
If/when the Broncos do announce that they have hired Webb to be their OC, the big question will be about play-calling. Will head coach Sean Payton hand over play-calling duties to Davis Webb in some capacity, or will Webb have the same role that Lombardi held previously? Even if he doesn’t get play-calling duties, having more responsibilities and a bigger voice in the week-to-week game planning should be beneficial for Webb and the Broncos moving forward.
With Webb’s interview officially done and the Broncos fulfilling their Rooney Rule obligations, we should have an official announcement sooner rather than later.
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