Nathaniel Hackett Ready to 'Attack' Broncos' Season Opener at Seattle
In this story:
Russell Wilson will return to the venue he called home for the last decade when the Denver Broncos face the Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle. The Sept. 12 tilt, to take place on Monday Night Football, should put a masterful bow atop Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season as it's rife with juicy plotpoints and circle-the-calendar grudge matches.
None juicer or more vengeful, though, than Wilson quarterbacking against his former team with whom he won Super Bowl 48, the freshly-turned heel now subject to merciless boos from his once-adoring "12s."
Get your popcorn ready.
“I think it’s going to be kind of [exciting]," Broncos rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett said Friday. "It’s a really interesting game to put right there on Monday night, but I’m glad we’re doing it early. That was going to happen at some point in the season, so let’s attack it. Let’s all get into it and rally around the Broncos, and let’s get ready to go in there in a hostile environment and have a good game.”
Of course, Wilson may be the biggest but certainly not the only storyline. The blockbuster trade that shipped him to Denver resulted in QB Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, and defensive lineman Shelby Harris landing in the Emerald City.
You should believe the trio — all probable starters for the Seahawks — would like nothing better than to stick it to Hackett and Broncos general manager George Paton under the prime-time lights, on the grandest weekly stage.
This will represent the 57th time in league history (including the postseason) that Seattle and Denver will do battle, with the latter holding a 35-21 series record. The most recent installment of the interconference rivalry occurred in 2018 when the Broncos eked out a 27-24 victory.
The upcoming edition — one of seven nationally-televised Broncos games this fall — promises to match the ever-growing hype.
"You always go down there and try to circle those primetime games, and to see all the ones that we have. It’s so exciting," Hackett said. "I mean, to open up at Seattle is a great opportunity for our team to test us early. It was really cool just to see it and know that hey, this is the first year in this role.”
Follow Zack on Twitter @KelbermanNFL
Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.
Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!
