The Denver Broncos first game of the 2024 NFL Season will be against the Seattle Seahawks. Let's cover three way too early keys to victory. It feels like Denver always opens the season against the Seattle Seahawks. They did so in 2022, and that was the first game of the Russell Wilson era in Denver.
We're going to forget about that time period and focus on the new-look Broncos and new-look Seahawks, who have replaced Pete Carroll at head coach with Mike Macdonald. Macdonald's defenses are flat-out excellent, so the game could be quite tough for Denver's offense.
Let's look at three way too early keys to victory for the Denver Broncos in Week 1.
3 way to early keys to victory for the Broncos in Week 1 of the 2024 season
Early and often pressure up front
You're going to notice a trend with these three keys to victory. The Denver Broncos defensive front is much improved on paper, as they project to start Zach Allen, DJ Jones, John Franklin-Myers, Jonathon Cooper, and Baron Browning.
According to the Seahawks official website, their starting offensive line will be Charles Cross, Laken Tomlinson, Connor Williams, one of Anthony Bradford or Christian Haynes, and George Fant at right tackle. It's not a good offensive line on paper, and it's clear that the Broncos defensive front is better.
Getting early pressure up front and taking advantage of this below-average offensive line is going to be huge for the Broncos in their chances, as they lost the trench battle consistently on defense last year. That simply cannot happen in 2024 if the Broncos hope to field a winning football team.
Make QB Geno Smith throw the ball
Geno Smith was not great in 2023. HIs breakout 2022 season saw him throw for over 4,000 yards, and complete nearly 70% of his passes, all while throwing 30 touchdowns against 11 interceptions.
In 2023, Smith regressed big-time. His completion percentage fell over five points, and he threw 10 fewer touchdowns and two more interceptions. Perhaps opposing defense began to figure Smith out a bit in 2023 given that there was actual film on him in 2022.
The Denver Broncos improved secondary could have a field day against Smith, and my take here is that the Seahawks rushing attack is much more reliable than their passing game, so if Denver can excel at stopping the run against this porous Seahawks OL, Geno Smith is going to be forced to throw the ball, and that's how the Broncos can win this game.
This pressure would fall on the defensive front led by Zach Allen, DJ Jones, and John Franklin-Myers. If they can get enough pressure and contain the run game, Denver is in great shape.
Interior offensive line needs to step up early
The Seattle Seahawks projected starting defensive line of Leonard Williams, Johnathan Hankins, and Jarran Reed is quite good. Dre'Mont Jones is also no slouch, but he wasn't great for Seattle in 2023. The Broncos interior offensive line is going to have their hands full with these players, so they have a ton of pressure to win this trench battle.
The Broncos figure to start Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg, and Quinn Meinerz along their interior. At that point, it's just going to be a battle of who the more talented side is. The interior pressure could really disturb Bo Nix in the passing game, and it'd also be a disaster for the run game as well.
I have faith in Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey, as the Seahawks do not have any sort of high-end outside pass rushers. Their strength on defense is their defensive line, so the Broncos need to step up in that regard.