Mike Macdonald's job just got a lot easier when Seahawks play Broncos in Week 1

The Seattle Seahawks are a bit over two weeks away from playing their first regular season game of the 2024 season. There are a lot of unknowns about Seattle entering the season because, for the first time since 2010, the team has a different head coach than Pete Carroll. Can new head coach Mike Macdonald do the job? That's the hope.

The good part is that Macdonald's job probably got a bit easier in Seattle's Week 1 matchup versus the Denver Broncos because Denver has announced they will be starting rookie Bo Nix at quarterback. To be sure, Denver head coach Sean Payton knows how to use his quarterbacks, but Nix will have faced no defense like the one Macdonald is about to unleash upon him.

Nix has been good in preseason games. Fans should not get carried away by preseason statistics, though. Yes, Nix went 23 of 30 for 205 yards in his first two preseason games, and while his quarterback rating is excellent, the only quarterback with a higher rating is Mac Jones.

Broncos announce rookie QB Bo Nix will start in Week 1 against Mike Macdonald and the Seattle Seahawks

You know Jones, right? He was a washout with the New England Patriots and is now the backup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. We have learned Jones isn't a high-end quarterback so Nix's preseason stats mean nothing.

The other key part is that in the preseason, teams do not scheme against one another. Denver might have an inkling of what Macdonald wants to do with his defenses, but they do not know how Macdonald will truly use players such as Devon Witherspoon. Nix has also been good against backups in the preseason and facing a defense such as Macdonald's to start his career is likely to be a rude awakening.

Macdonald probably gets a break in his first game as the Seahawks head coach in facing a rookie quarterback. Nix had a lot of starting experience in college, but that is not the same as having a bunch of experience in the NFL. The quarterback is going to be nervous, and he should be. Macdonald has a better idea of what he wants to do against an offense than Nix understands what he needs to do to defeat an NFL defense.

The other aspect that shouldn't go unnoticed is that Nix played at the University of Oregon. Seattle's new offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, played against Nix when Grubb was at the University of Washington. Grubb will have seen Nix's strengths and weaknesses and be able to pass that on to Macdonald.

Mike Macdonald will have tougher matchups in the NFL. Rookie Nix might be facing his nightmare matchup in his first game in the league. This means Macdonald's drive to win his first game as a head coach just got easier.

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