Instant Reaction: 710 ESPN Seattle on Seahawks’ 27-24 loss to Broncos

The Seahawks came up short in Week 1 of the 2018 NFL season, losing 27-24 to the Denver Broncos. As they do after each Seahawks game, the voices of 710 ESPN Seattle share below their instant reactions.

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Brock Huard (Brock and Salk)

Welcome to 2018, a year that resembles Seahawks football – at least the ball in 2010 and 2011. There are so many new pieces, plenty of them with no experience, who will have to learn the finer points of this league and this Seahawks scheme the hard way. That said, there will be explosive plays in every phase of the game because this team still has enough talent and speed to play into the fourth quarter with just about anyone on their schedule.

This will also be a season where Russell Wilson will have to be even better than he’s ever been, and today he wasn’t. He will have to trust this scheme, trust a new coordinator and trust an offensive line that did give him more opportunities than they have in the past but needs him to get the ball out to avoid huge, negative plays.

Buckle up, it’s gonna be a wild ride.

Bob Stelton (Bob, Groz and Tom)

We didn’t really know what to expect from the Seahawks going into the first game of the season. What we got were some new additions to be excited about and some very familiar problems.

The new additions: rookies Will Dissly and Michael Dickson had huge days. Dissly made three catches for 105 yards and a TD. Dickson had six punts for a total of 354 yards, four going inside the 20 and one that went for 69 yards.

The problem was that we saw Dickson way too much. The offense was inconsistent at best. The O-line showed little improvement from last year, allowing six sacks, although I put three of those on Russell Wilson for hanging onto the ball instead of throwing it away. Along with subpar pass protection, the line produced very few holes for the running backs while also committing some very untimely penalties.

The defense had some bright spots with Bradley McDougald coming up with two interceptions and Earl Thomas making an early pick in his return to the team, as well. The problem was the almost total lack of a pass rush, putting very little pressure on Broncos QB Case Keenum.

Despite all of that, the Seahawks were somehow in the game with less than a minute to go, down by 3 (Sebastian Janikowski missed back-to-back attempts on a field goal earlier in the game, by the way). Ultimately, their mistakes and lack of execution were too much to overcome.

Jim Moore (Danny, Dave and Moore)

I guess there were plenty of things to quibble with, starting with six sacks allowed by the offensive line. But all in all, considering a season opener on the road in hot weather at altitude with two rookie fill-in starters on defense and Doug Baldwin being knocked out early, the Seahawks were still in position to win in the fourth quarter.

Bradley McDougald stood out with his two interceptions, and Earl Thomas let everyone know that he was back with a pick of his own in the first quarter. But if I had to pick two “stars of the game” for the Seahawks, they were Will Dissly, the blocking tight end who looks like a catching and rumbling tight end too, and Michael Dickson, the punter who made a difference in this game and figures to be a field-position nightmare for opponents all season long.

I wonder if the Seahawks are concerned about Sebastian Janikowski after two missed extra points in the last preseason game against Oakland and two straight missed field goals against Denver.

Mike Salk (Brock and Salk)

What a strange, fun, and ultimately disappointing loss on the road to open the season. There were some things that looked better than expected (like the forced turnovers and pass blocking) and others that looked problematic (like the pass rush and the run blocking). It was a game that was always going to be a challenge as visiting teams have found it nearly impossible to win in Denver in September. But it came down to the final drive and unfortunately, Seattle’s franchise quarterback couldn’t convert.

Russ didn’t play his best game but he had his team in position late (as always). My expectation is that a quarterback does the important things and plays his best in the final minutes, and unfortunately fumbling the snap was the polar opposite of that.

There will be some that think this is the beginning of the end for the Seahawks and their quarterback. Not me. I think a Pete Carroll team will generally improve as a season progresses, and they’ll have their next shot against a mediocre Chicago team next week.

Tom Wassell (Bob, Groz and Tom)

This was about what you’d expect in Week 1 from a new Seahawks team. They tripped over themselves all day long but still made enough big plays to reassure us that they’re competitive.

Will Dissly and Bradley McDougald were the stars of the day. Running back Chris Carson was so-so. The defense came up with a few turnovers but gave up a LOT of yardage. When they had to get that last stop to give Russell a chance, they actually did, though.

Oddly, we kept saying that if it was close and Russell had the ball, we’d be happy with that situation. Didn’t work out today. Even Wilson looked rusty, holding on to the ball for way too long at times.

Whatever concerns you had before the game should still be there. Doesn’t mean they can’t improve. Just remember, they now have to play above .500 to get to 8-8.

Dave Grosby (Bob, Groz and Tom)

Wasn’t too surprised by the ultimate outcome today because I don’t think the Seahawks are that good of a football team.

My biggest takeaway is Denver, although always tough at home, is a lousy team. Case Keenum threw three picks, and while Denver has a good defense, the Seahawks’ offensive line looked terrible.

The Seahawks’ defense is nothing like it used to be, and that’s going to be the biggest adjustment for me to make. Like I said, I’m not terribly surprised. I thought the Seahawks were probably an eight-win team at best and today certainly didn’t change that, but a playoff team? A long way to go. Plus they may have lost Doug Baldwin for a while.

It’s petty to blame Wilson for Hawks not becoming a dynasty