By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Patience is the name of the game for Seahawks Mike Macdonald.

The Michael Macdonald era of the Seattle Seahawks began with a hard-fought 26-20 win over the Denver Broncos. The Seahawks’ defense was a beacon of resilience, shining from the moment the whistle was blown. The offense, on the other hand, took a while to find its footing, but their determination was unwavering.

HORROR START

Geno Smith and the offense had a challenging start to the game, with a sack on the first play and a subsequent interception to the Broncos’ Alex  Singleton. The Seahawks’ defense held the Broncos to a 35-yard field goal, but the Seahawks’ offensive line continued to struggle, giving up two safeties. Credit to the Broncos’ defensive scheme, Singleton lived in the Seahawks’ backfield while  Riley Moss and   Patrick Surtain blanketed the Seahawks’ wide receivers. Despite these struggles, the Seahawks managed to score a 34-yard  touchdown run by Geno Smith and a 50-yard field goal by Jason Myers, showing some signs of life in the offense.

TAKE AWAY

Despite giving up the two safeties and a 1-5 third-down efficiency, the Seahawks went into halftime within striking defense down  13-9.  The Seahawk’s defensive discipline kept the game close. Pressure from   Leonard  Williams, Jarran Reed, and  Jonathan Hankins made life difficult for Nix. With Nix under duress, linebackers Tyrell Dodson and Jerome Baker kept to their spacing assignments; in turn, the back end of the Seahawk’s defense brought energy and execution.  Safety Julian Love ‘s interception in the second quarter was a result of team defense. The pressure up front from Leonard Williams flushed Nix out of the pocket, and Devon Witherspoon’s sticky coverage on the Bronco’s C Sutton allowed  Love to make the play.

PRODUCTIVE HALF

After some halftime adjustments, the Seahawk’s offense attacked the middle of the Bronco’s defense. In the first half, Ryan Grubb’s plays were away  Broncos linebacker Alex  Singleton and former  Seahawk Cody Barton.   Grubb’s ground game took advantage of running back Ken Walker’s III strength and speed. After several runs up the middle, Walker bounced a second -11 run to the outside for a 23-yard touchdown that put the Seahawks ahead for good.

On their next possession, the Seahawks settled for a 32-yard field goal after a six-yard TD run by  Walker was called by due to a holding penalty by DK Metcalf.  On their next possession, a swing pass from Smith to Zach Charbonnet resulted in a 23-yard. With the offense playing its part, the Seahawk’s defense continued to play inspired, committed, and energetic defense.  Riq Woolen looked ready for another  Pro Bowl year when he ran across the field and intercepted a  Nix pass intended by Courtland Sutton.

BIG TAKE AWAY

Macdonald is a process-driven coach who believes in his system and players. The Seahawk’s defense played with energy and swagger from the beginning to the end. It did not matter whether the offense was having success or not. It was about the mindset of knowing your job and going out and executing. To build a thriving, winning culture, there must be a foundation of trust and belief. Because there was never a doubt about his players and objectives, Macdonald and the Seahawks earned their first victory of the season.

QUOTES FROM MIKE MACDONALD MONDAY PRESS CONFERENCE

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( Opening statement )”Great team win all the way around. 60-minute game. Good opponent. That’s a good football team that we played yesterday afternoon. And, a lot of getting the details kind of sorted out after watching the tape. But it’s kind of a foundational first game, a lot of good stuff. It’s really hard to win in the NFL. So to come out with a win, especially Week 1 at home, was big for our football team, but it’s just a start. It’s one week. Lots of emphasis here taking the next step as a team, and excited to see where we’re going to take it here over the next week going to New England. So, excited for that.”

(On the next steps) “Well, we go back to work. So, I’m excited for this to be over so we can move on to New England. And a lot of the background work has gone in, and then we come in tomorrow, debrief a little bit as a team, and then we move forward to New England in tomorrow’s meetings, get a good lift, and let’s rock and roll and have a great Wednesday.”

(On if there were any processes he goes through that stuck out to him on game day) “Yeah. I talked to our coaches today and I felt like as a as a football team, as an organization, our messaging, in consistency with the guys and and kind of holding firm in our beliefs and what we’re going to stand on. You felt like we got a chance to really have some massive buy-in and staying together on this thing. So if we did not do a good job of that, you could feel it probably splintering there towards the end of the half, and we definitely didn’t feel that.”

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