5 Key Turning Points in Seattle Seahawks Season-Opening Win Over Broncos

What were the key moments that led to the Seahawks beating the Broncos in Seattle on Sunday? Let's look at five that helped decide the outcome.

Sep 8, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald stands on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

After a brutal start to the game and the 2024 season, the Seahawks settled down in the second half and surged to a 26-20 win over the Denver Broncos. The introduction to the Mike Macdonald era in Seattle came with a stingy defense and an offense that took some time to gel.

Which moments stick out as ones that helped decide the outcome? Here are five key turning points in the game that led to Macdonald's first win in Seattle.

Halftime

We could just leave it to that one word and move on, right? Whoever Seahawks fans saw in the first half, they were imposters. That was about as sloppy of a first half as you will ever see from a professional football team. It included not one, but two safeties. Seattle trailed 13-9 heading into the locker room with a meager 112 yards of offense.

Whatever Macdonald said or did in his first halftime as an NFL head coach, and Ryan Grubb's as an NFL offensive coordinator, it worked wonders. That seemed to be the first turning point in powering the Seahawks to victory.

10:44 3rd Quarter: Kenneth Walker III rushes for 23-yard touchdown

After the defense did what it basically did all day and forced a Broncos punt, the Seahawks got their first possession of the second half with a chance to take the lead. Geno Smith and company did not even face a third down on the drive. A false start by backup right tackle Stone Forsythe put the Seahawks at 1st and 15 from the Denver 27 yard-line.

Kenneth Walker III then darted for four yards to set up 2nd and 11. Walker also got the handoff the following snap, cutting through the middle of the Denver defense for a 23-yard score. It capped off a critcal drive and gave the Seahawks a 16-13 lead. It also seemed to ignite the Seahawks run game.

8:12 3rd Quarter: Jaleel McLaughlin catches pass from Box Nix and fumbles. Recovered at Denver's 48 yard-line by Jerome Baker

The Broncos tried to respond to the go-ahead touchdown by Walker by going quickly down the field on the following drive. Bo Nix faced a 3rd and 11 and completed a quick-hitter to Jaleel McLaughlin before the receiver put the ball on the turf.

Seahawks linebacker Jerome Baker was quick to react, recovering the fumble. This stopped a potential go-ahead drive for the Broncos in its tracks and gave the Seahawks great field position. It ended up allowing Seattle to get into field goal range to add to their lead, making it 19-13.

Sep 8, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) celebrates after catching a touchdown pass against the Denver Broncos during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

14:54 4th Quarter: Geno Smith completes pass to Zach Charbonnet for 30-yard touchdown

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Seahawks had a slim lead. They were desperate to add to it and give themselves some breathing room. Smith led Seattle 50 yards down to the Broncos' 30 yard-line. From there, he hit running back Zach Charbonnet on a halfback wheel route down the sidelines for a walk-in touchdown pass.

The connection put the Seahawks ahead by two scores at 26-13. Looking back, the Seahawks needed that score badly. The Broncos eventually made it a tight, one-score game late. Without this touchdown, the game likely ends very differently.

1:48 4th Quarter: Geno Smith completes pass to Tyler Lockett for 9 yards

After the Broncos scored a touchdown to make it 26-20, things got a little nerve-wracking for the home crowd. With the two-minute warning and two timeouts in the bag, Sean Payton opted to kick the ball down the field to the Seahawks, confident his defense would give the Broncos offense one more chance. They nearly did.

Seattle faced a 3rd and 6 on their own 34 yard-line with just under two minutes to play. As he did most of the day, Geno Smith stayed poised in a chaotic pocket and fired a strike to receiver Tyler Lockett. The veteran receiver ran just far enough to get the line-to-gain for the game-sealing first down. If Smith and Lockett don't connect there, the Seahawks may have even lost this game.
Geno Smith saw to it that would not happen.