Today is the day. The Seattle Seahawks are finally kicking off the 2024 season! They will host their former AFC West rivals, the Denver Broncos, for the first time since they were upset on Monday Night Football in 2022.

A lot has changed since then. Winding the clock back, that particular game featured the return of Russell Wilson to Seattle after being traded away from the Seahawks to the Broncos. The NFL scheduling wizards made sure it was front and center, and it did not disappoint. Seattle upset Wilson's Broncos 17-16, and it was all downhill from there.

Denver suffered one of the worst seasons in recent memory in 2022, cratering to 5-12, prompting a drastic coaching change. The Broncos made another blockbuster trade to acquire the rights to hire Sean Payton from the New Orleans Saints to make him their next head coach. Things were marginally better for Denver in 2023, improving to 8-9, but saw the eventual benching of Russell Wilson.

Now, the Broncos are entering into a brand new era. Wilson is gone to Pittsburgh and in his place is rookie quarterback Bo Nix from Oregon. Payton's now in his second year in full control of Denver, and has been remaking the team in his image. I full expect the Broncos to be far more competitive this year, and especially in Week 1.

Nix won't be the only one having his debut at Lumen Field. Sunday will mark the first regular season game of Seahawks' head coach Mike Macdonald's career, as well as offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. Macdonald was hired to help finally fix Seattle's terrible defense - the team's Achilles Heel for years now. The Seahawks and the 12th Man have good reason to be optimisitic about Macdonald's prowess, as his unit in Baltimore for the past two seasons has been among the league's best.

It's Week 1, which is easily the most unpredictable weekend of the year. No one has film out on anyone, and that is doubly true for both teams today. How will Nix fare against Macdonald's defense? Can Geno Smith and Grubb's offense prove to be as crisp as they should be?

In my view, I see this being a competitive affair for the majority of the game. The Broncos are more improved, but I believe Grubb's innovative offense is going to catch teams by surprise to start the year. Expect this one to stay tight, but a late touchdown by Seattle to put it away.

Prediction: Seahawks defeat Broncos 28-17 in a game that will be much closer than the final score might suggest.

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This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Week 1 preview and prediction: Seahawks vs Broncos