The Seattle Seahawks fell two games behind their division rivals after the devastating loss to the 49ers. They'll have no time to lick their wounds, as they play the Broncos on Thursday night in Denver. Okay, they'll have about 96 hours, so technically, they can get a lot of licking done - but we don't work blue at 12thmanrising. Still, this is the definition of a trap game.
The Broncos are coming off their own division matchup against the Chargers. Now, I'm not saying Los Angeles is bad. After all, they gave Seattle all they could handle in the second half of their Week 4 game. They're clearly the best 0-5 team in the NFL. But the Niners, they ain't. So while both teams are coming in on a short week, they're hardly coming off the same level of competition.
Mike Macdonald was displeased after this game, to put it mildly. Two fumbles, one in the end zone, aren't going to make the head coach happy. Two more interceptions by Sam Darnold didn't help the cause either, and he's been rightly criticized for his play. The coaches have a lot to correct in a short week.
Which Seattle Seahawks team will show up Thursday night?
Seattle's loss puts them two games behind San Francisco in the NFC West. It would have been great to be first, but we're only 29.42 percent of the way through the season. Man, I hate the 17-game schedule. The good news is the Seahawks started last season 3-2 as well, then only lost once the rest of the way to their championship season. Still, this loss was tough to take.
Unfortunately, the Broncos won't make it easy for the Seahawks to get back on track. They aren't great, but they aren't bad, either. They did get blown out by the Chiefs and lost by 10 points to the Niners, true. But they beat the Rams and handled the Jaguars, who are now 4-1. So they're not scary good, nor are they laughably bad.
That's why this game is so worrisome for Seattle. There's no intrinsic reason to get up for this game. It's not a division game, not a conference game. The last time this competition had any importance was in the Super Bowl 12 years ago. Denver has had five head coaches since then, and that doesn't include two forgettable games by interim coach Jerry... Jerry... well, I'm sure a Broncos fan knows.
Other than that contest, it's been 23 years since this was a big game, when the Seahawks moved from the AFC to the NFC. Jaxon Smith-Njigba wasn't even born when Seattle and Denver used to square off every season. Long-time 12s might be able to stir up some emotions for this one, but the Seahawks themselves? It's just another game. And that makes it a very dangerous game indeed.
So which Seahawks team will show up? The guys that made Drake Maye look like a D-III quarterback? The team that punked the Cardinals and took their lunch money (again)? Or will it be the team that can't get out of its own way? Mike Macdonald will certainly be looking for the answer Thursday night.
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