Broncos 3, Seahawks 0: Denver takes early lead after Alex Singleton picks off Geno Smith

Broncos head coach Sean Payton has his quarterback in first-round pick Bo Nix, who will be Denver’s first rookie starting QB in Week 1 since some guy named John Elway. Will he come out firing or have rookie jitters in his first NFL start? Stick here for live updates and analysis as Denver takes on the Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle.

Live updates

First-quarter updates

A first (2:35 p.m.): Alex Singleton’s interception was his first in a Broncos uniform and first since Dec. 26, 2021 when he played for Philadelphia. — Gabriel

Dropped (2:33 p.m.): Lil’Jordan Humphrey drops Nix’s pass attempt on third down, forcing the Broncos to punt. The ball was placed perfectly in Humphrey’s hands but he couldn’t secure the grab. — McFadden

Defensive numbers (2:31 p.m.): After three possessions, the Broncos have one sack, one turnover, three quarterback hits and two pass deflections.

Oh, and two tackles for a loss. — Schubert

Pass-rush strong early (2:29 p.m.): Zach Allen loves playing with JFM. Teams can’t pay so much attention to him and he took advantage, there, pressuring Geno Smith on third-and-long. — Gabriel

The Broncos pass rush has shown up in a big way early on. — Schubert

Defense rolling (2:27 p.m.): Nik Bonitto rocking his new number 15 gets the tackle. And there’s a hold on the play. Seahawks offense finding tough sledding. Riley Moss gets tackle for loss. Looked like he was bulldogging in rodeo arena. — Renck

Defensive switch (2:25 p.m.): Devon Key in the game at safety with Locke for the second series.

Sean Payton indicated Friday that Brandon Jones might be on something of a limited workload given he missed most of camp with a hamstring injury. — Gabriel

Three-and-out (2:22 p.m.): Three pass attempts, three completions for Bo Nix on his second drive. Unfortunately the Broncos only gained 5 yards. A punt back to Seattle. — Nguyen

Through two series, Bo Nix is 3/4 for 5 yards and the Broncos have gone three-and-out twice. Long way to go, obviously, but playing in the regular season is a lot different than the preseason. — Gabriel

For historians: On first and 10 from 35, Bo Nix completed first pass to Jaleel McLaughlin on rollout right for two yards. He followed with a short pass that went for minus-1 yard. But he already has more completions than John Elway had in his opening debut in 1983. Elway went 1-for-8 and was benched. But Broncos won. — Renck

Sean Payton and Co. aren’t doing a lot to dispel the notion that Bo Nix doesn’t throw the ball down the field. We’re two possessions in and nothing past the sticks. — Schubert

Money well earned (2:18 p.m.): That is why you pay Pat Surtain II. First time Seahawks go to D.K. Metcalf, Surtain knocks it away. Looks like Surtain is following top receiver today. Will see if that holds. — Renck

This just in: Pat Surtain II is good. — Gabriel

Pat Surtain II once again shows why you pay him the big bucks. — McFadden

Encourage defense (2:15 p.m.): Looking forward to seeing what Denver’s defense does after forcing a turnover to start the game. The Broncos needed to improve on their pass rush. Jones and Cooper getting to the quarterback on back-to-back plays is a encouraging sign. — McFadden

CU sighting (2:14 p.m.): Former CU receiver Laviska Shenault took that kick return for the Seahawks. Seattle will start on the 27-yard line. — Nguyen

Field goal (2:11 p.m.): Broncos take a 3-0 lead after Wil Lutz’s 35-yard field goal attempt. Broncos 3, Seahawks 0. — McFadden

Javonte Williams slips on second play and Bo Nix incompletion brings out FG team.. Thought we were going to see tush push with Riley Dixon, but was used only to try and draw Seattle offsides. Didn’t work. Lutz with short FG. #Broncos lead 3-0 w 12:36 remaining in half. Really needed to steal 7 there. But a lead is a lead. — Renck

Broncos go three-and-out after a 9-yard run on first down.

Nix *maybe* could have tried to pick up third-and-2 with his legs, but instead Denver settles for a FG.

Red zone always critical and the first trip there this fall is an unsatisfying one. — Gabriel

And picked (2:08 p.m.): More pressure from the Broncos’ front line and he throws a dart straight into Alex Singleton’s hands. Broncos ball. — Nguyen

START US OFF, @alexsingleton49!

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/8pdkaMf01S

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 8, 2024

Jonathon Cooper with sack on first play. On second play, Alex Singleton with interception as DJ Jones wrapped up Smith. Huge start for Denver. — Renck

Sacked (2:07 p.m.): Jonathon Cooper records the first sack of the season for Denver. A 7-yard loss for Seattle. — Nguyen

Coin toss (2:03 p.m.): Broncos have all six captains at midfield for the coin toss.

Pat Surtain calls tails and it is. Denver defers to the second half. — Gabriel

It’s about that time. Anthem singer had false start. Started before PA was done talking. And pretty sure there will be an illegal formation called as well.

Broncos win toss and will kick. Will see new-look defense first. The Broncos beefed up their DLine to improve their run defense. But there are questions in secondary. This will be debut of foursome Brandon Jones, P.J. Locke, Riley Moss and Pat Surtain II. — Renck

Pre-game updates

Weather (1:52 p.m.): 73 degrees, mostly cloudy, 7 mph wind and 72% humidity as we approach kickoff. Peak PNW. — Gabriel

Countdown (1:19 p.m.): Broncos are on the field for warmups with 47 minutes on the clock before kickoff. Sean Payton’s on the sideline chatting with owners Carrie Walton Penner and Greg Penner. — Gabriel

Broncos inactives (12:36 p.m.): TE Lucas Krull, WR Troy Franklin, DL Eyioma Uwazurike, RB Blake Watson, CB Kris Abrams-Draine and OL Frank Crum. Zach Wilson is listed as the emergency third quarterback. — McFadden

Only surprise on the inactives from my point of view is maybe Kris Abrams-Draine. He was a special teams regular in camp. But Levi Wallace is healthy after missing a big chunk of camp and slots in as the next CB up behind Pat Surtain II and Riley Moss. — Gabriel

Good morning from the Pacific Northwest (12:18 p.m.): It’s hazy but dry here in Seattle. Bo Nix was out on the field with Jarrett Stidham a little more than two hours before kickoff. Intriguing opener here both considering Nix is making his regular-season debut and that the Seahawks feature a new head coach and new coordinators on both sides of the ball. — Gabriel

Scouting report (11 a.m.): Check out how the Broncos match up with the Seahawks in Ryan McFadden’s scouting report.

Game predictions

Parker Gabriel, beat writer: Seahawks 17, Broncos 16

The Broncos have lost their last two season openers by this score, including one at Lumen Field. So why not another? OK, that’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, but this has the feel of a feel-out game. Denver is trying to learn what it has in Bo Nix, and Seattle is going out under head coach Mike Macdonald for the first time. The Broncos cover, but start 0-1 for a fifth time in six years.

Ryan McFadden, beat writer: Seahawks 21, Broncos 20

History will not be on Bo Nix’s side on Sunday. Rookie quarterbacks are 0-7-1 in Week 1 in the last five seasons. Nix will put up modest numbers in his debut but it won’t be enough to beat the Seahawks in a hostile environment. Mike Macdonald earns his first win as a head coach but Denver will leave Seattle optimistic about Nix’s ability as a starter.

Troy Renck, columnist: Seahawks 23, Broncos 20

The Broncos have been energized by young players and rookie quarterback Bo Nix. There is every reason to believe they will use their underdog status to overachieve this season. It just won’t be in the opener at Seattle. Too many numbers suggest that even if Nix plays well, the Broncos will lose.

Sean Keeler, columnist: Seahawks 23, Broncos 20

Welcome to the Big Show, Bo Nix! For all the chatter about Seattle tailback Kenneth Walker III vs. the Broncos’ run defense, that’s not what nags you. What nags you is what happens when Geno Smith realizes he’s got DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett or Smith-Njigba isolated 1-on-1 against Riley Moss. Or just starts looking for wherever Moss happens to be and decides he’ll take his chances. If the Broncos hold up their end at CB2, they can hang. But that’s a massive, Godzilla-sized “if.” Especially when you can’t hear yourself think.

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