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)

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)

Geno Smith with the wheels, and the Seahawks’ first touchdown! (9-8 SEA)

Not another safety! (10-9 DEN)

Kenneth Walker zips down the sideline, dives for the go-ahead score (16-13 SEA)

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)

Bo Nix throws into triple coverage, Riq Woolen comes away with the pick (26-13 SEA)

Bo Nix scrambles for his first NFL touchdown (26-20 SEA)

Geno Smith and Tyler Lockett call game (26-20 SEA FINAL)

Bonus Twitter content!

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.

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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

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!