Broncos vs. Seahawks: Five Questions with 12th Man Rising

As the Denver Broncos travel to face the Seattle Seahawks, we sat down with Lee Vowell from 12th Man Rising to get his takes on the opponent.

The Denver Broncos will be playing in their second preseason game as they travel to face the Seattle Seahawks. For the Seahawks, they will be playing in their first preseason game, so they will be paying close attention to some of their second and third team players.

For the Denver Broncos, it will be a chance to see some of their starters. Joe Flacco and Von Miller are two key players that will see a bit of playing time on Thursday night. It will be a good chance for Vic Fangio to get a chance to see his starters for a little bit.

We most likely will not get a chance to see the starters in the game for an extended period of time until the second to last preseason game. But having a chance to see how Flacco run the offense can tell a lot of how the progress is going so far.

With an important game for both teams coming up, I sat down and chatted with Lee Vowell over at 12th Man Rising and got his takes on how the Seattle Seahawks are doing in training camp so far.

PO: The Seahawks missed the playoffs for the first time in a bit in 2017 and made it back last year. What does the team need to do to get back into the postseason this year?

TMR: Missing the playoffs for the Seahawks at this point is unexpected. A lot has to go right for Seattle to get to the postseason, like no injuries to a few key players such as Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson. The key for this year, however, is having a young receiving group grow up in a hurry and finding a consistent pass rush to help cover up some deficiencies in the secondary. If Seattle can’t muster a pass rish, they won’t make the playoffs.

PO: Paxton Lynch is a former Denver Broncos quarterback. How has he looked for Seattle in Seahawks camp so far?

TMR: Not good. Lynch’s mechanics are not good. He is inaccurate on almost every level of throw. Of course, Lynch has a big arm and great size. But I am still a bit befuddled on why Seattle brought in Lynch, though. He doesn’t seem to have the capability to run anywhere near the same kind of offense as Russell Wilson. Likely, Geno Smith will end up being Wilson’s backup and Lynch will be released.

PO: In regards to the Seahawks’ offseason, what has impressed you the most and what can the team improve on?

TMR: Seattle drafted for a need that 12s were not aware the team might have. That is, the Seahawks took three receivers in this year’s class and then Doug Baldwin was released/retired. I do think that Seattle getting D.K. Metcalf and Gary Jennings will be good long-term, though it is tough for rookie receivers to be very good in the NFL. I also like that Seattle made the decision to extend Wilson and Bobby Wagner this offseason and not wait. That is going to help next offseason’s moves.

Seattle, though, simply didn’t do enough to help the defensive line. With Jarran Reed’s suspension there will be no interior pass rush. After trading Frank Clark, Seattle signed Ziggy Ansah. If Ansah gets hurt as he often does, Seattle’s defense could be the worst it has been in seasons.

PO: What is one thing that you are hoping to see from Seattle in their first preseason game?

TMR: I am mostly hoping to see how young pass rushers, like Jacob Martin and Rasheem Green, look in the second seasons. Do they look like they are ready to take a big jump and get consistent pressure in the pass rush. This is, though, Seattle’s first preseason game so I expect to not gain a whole lot other than which players might try to make up the back end of the roster.

PO: Is there one position that you are concerned with in Seattle going into Thursday’s game?

TMR: Besides the defensive line, the other concern is the secondary. Cornerback Shaquill Griffin was not good in 2018 and admitted to as much. Opposite corner Tre Flowers was pretty good in his rookie year but will he digress. The safety that plays opposite Bradley McDougald is a question mark. It will be interesting to see if the secondary is ready to grow this year and one might be able to gather a bit of that against the Broncos.

Thank You Lee for taking the time out to chat with us. If you want to see what questions he asked me for 12th Man Rising, you can take a look here.