Room to grow for Seattle Seahawks offense after shaky first week
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 08: Geno Smith #7 of the Seattle Seahawks carries the ball during the second quarter of the game against the Denver Broncos at Lumen Field on September 08, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Jane Gershovich / Getty Images)
RENTON, Wash. - Despite a season-opening victory over the Denver Broncos, Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks know there is plenty of room for improvement from their offense.
Smith was intercepted on the second offensive snap of the game, took a pair of safeties when backed up against their own goal line, and saw the offensive line struggle to give the unit a chance to function in the first half.
"Yeah, we want to not have that happen going forward," Smith said on Thursday.
The Seahawks managed a first down on just two of their eight first half possessions. They managed just 102 yards of total offense, were 1-for-5 on third down, had the turnover on Smith's interception, and the two safeties from being able to progress off their own 1-yard line.
"Any time you have adversity and you're able to overcome it, it always speaks well for your team, for the guys on the team," Smith said. "But obviously we would like to start a lot better, and that's been the emphasis all week, is starting fast and obviously sustain it throughout the entire game."
The offense had time to work out their issues due to a terrific outing from Mike Macdonald's defense that kept the Broncos from turning Seattle mistakes into touchdowns.
"The offense stuttered in the first half, the way I saw it, but our defense kept responding," receiver DK Metcalf said. "Every time they had to go out on the field and get a big stop, they did it. We're going to lean on each other this season. Nobody wants to start out the way we did this season on offense, but we're going to learn from it."
Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb was pleased with the group's ability to remain calm and confident despite the struggles early in the contest.
"Mature," he said. "Got some good veterans that have been through some pretty heavy battles and they know how to respond to those situations. They know that, you know, anxiety and emotion and panic is going to get us nowhere, so we just got to boil it down and stop beating ourselves. That was it."
Grubb credited Smith for helping keep the offense from getting anxious on the sidelines in the first half.
"When you think about starting a game that way, and this guy is just one cool customer," Grubb said. "Walks up and stays on it, doesn't flinch at all when you're talking to him, and he's just been there and done that. He's been in so many battles like that you know he's just going to be able to respond to tough situations. And he certainly did."
Even with the early interception, Smith finished the game completing 18-of-25 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown, along with his 34-yard touchdown run that got Seattle on the board.
"It just builds confidence and continuity for down the road," Metcalf said. "Like I said, we started out Week 1 like that. We found out a lot about who we are as a team in Week 1, but just hopefully we can build on that and not take any steps back from it."
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