Fortunately for Smith and the offense, Seattle’s defense was able to shut the attack down quickly, stopping the Broncos in three plays and limiting the damage to a Will Lutz field goal.

On their first three offensive drives, the Seahawks combined for 12 yards and failed to pick up a first down. They found some rhythm on their fourth possession when Smith hooked Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a pair of first down throws, settling for a 50-yard Jason Myers field goal to tie the game at 3-3 late in the first quarter.

Unfortunately, Seattle blew not one, but two separate possessions where it started out pinned on its own one-yard line. First, following an interception by safety Julian Love on rookie quarterback Bo Nix, right guard Anthony Bradford committed a flagrant hold in the end zone, which in law resulted in a safety. Less than 10 minutes later, following a great punt that was downed on the one, running back Zach Charbonnet could not get out of Zach Allen’s grasp in the end zone for another safety.

To add to the misery, undrafted rookie Dee Williams botched a punt inside the Seattle 10-yard line after the defense forced him into a quick punt, setting up another field goal by Lutz that extended the lead to 8-3.

Sandwiched between those three ugly plays, the Seahawks found the end zone for the first time in 2024, when Smith bolted 34 yards for a touchdown after climbing the pocket and losing sight of safety P.J. Locke. They missed the two-point conversion but took their first lead of the afternoon at 9-8, only to lose it again moments later when Charbonnet was stopped behind the goal line.

While Seattle barely managed more than 100 yards of total offense in the first half, coach Mike Macdonald had to be pleased with his team’s overall defensive effort. Denver converted just four of 12 third-down opportunities and failed to capitalize on the home team’s mistakes. The Broncos finished with just six points on three red-zone trips, including the two times they got the ball inside the Seahawks’ 25-yard line.

But Macdonald likely wasn’t happy with how the half ended, as Nix connected on a 25-yard back-shoulder throw with 20 seconds left on veteran Josh Reynolds on third down to put the Broncos within range of a field goal. Two plays later, Lutz connected on a third field goal to extend the lead to four before halftime, leaving the Seahawks with plenty of adjustments to make in the locker room if they were to turn things around in the final two quarters.