The final match of the opening week of the NFL 2022 season is a scheduling masterclass as Russell Wilson begins life as a Denver Broncos player. In an incredible twist of fate his opening game in orange and blue will be away to the team he just left in Seattle Seahawks.
These two go at it from potentially the two best divisions in football and having already seen rival teams get off to a winning start both sides will be looking to pick up an opening win and join the early pace for what is sure to be an exciting campaign.
Seattle Seahawks
This looks like it is going to be a season of transition for the Seattle Seahawks. That isn’t just because Russell Wilson has gone but one or two other seasoned campaigners have left and this team needs a bit of a rebuild. You would imagine it will have a coaching change soon because the methods of Pete Carroll are a little outdated which led to the frustration of Wilson and his eventual departure. This is a chance on primetime to show that things aren’t as bad as some fear however.
This is also a chance for Geno Smith to show that he can be a starter in the big league. He certainly doesn’t lack for receiving options with Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf about as good as there is as a pairing in the league, although whether Carroll allows him to pass it to them is another thing. The Seattle pass rush looks weaker this season and there are already issues over the running game so this feels like a big night for the Seahawks.
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Denver Broncos
All eyes will obviously be on the Denver Broncos’ number 3 although that might suit the support cast pretty well because Wilson has some talented receivers to pass to, and potentially a coach that will let him throw the deep ball when he wants. He also has a couple of reliable running backs to mix up the offense with as well while he is still likely to be mobile himself so there is immediately a buzz to proceedings in Colorado even though Wilson is yet to wear the shirt.
The Broncos aren’t just a tidy offensive unit though. They have a decent defence which is going to be tested throughout the course of the season. They have a good secondary and the pass rush is very effective as well so they will be lining up Geno Smith from the off. The one potential negative is that Wilson was kept away from the preseason matches so he hasn’t had a single competitive snap with the rest of the offense so that side of the ball might take a while to get going.
Betting
Like some of the week one matches which went before this one, this isn’t the easiest match to bet on as there have been some major gains and losses within the two rosters in the close season. Clearly one which has impacted each will get plenty of focus in this match but all the match lines look about right, maybe skewed a touch on the side of the Denver Broncos. I don’t really want to get involved either way but there is a player prop bet I’m happy to tuck into.
That comes in the form of the receptions for Tyler Lockett, a man who is expected to be utilised in the slot a lot to give Geno Smith an easy hand down should the Denver pressure start to come and keep on coming. It is a ploy that Pete Carroll used last season when Smith was a starter and with the Denver secondary likely to be able to take care of DK Metcalf and the Seattle running game against down to just Rashaad Penny. When you consider Seattle are likely to be playing this match from behind Smith is going to need to seek out his easier to find receiver so over 4 receptions, which will be a push if he catches exactly four passes, on Lockett looks good to me.
Tips
Back T.Lockett – Over 4 Receptions for a 3/10 stake at 1.95 with BetVictor
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