Broncos at Seahawks: What to Watch for on Monday Night

The Denver Broncos are on the doorstep of the 2022 regular season. On Monday Night Football, the Broncos will take on the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field, kicking off the season and providing quarterback Russell Wilson with the opportunity to exorcise some demons right out of the gates.

After six long years of occupying the NFL doldrums, the Broncos hope to open up a new era of winning football with Wilson at the helm. After all, he is the NFL's all-time winningest quarterback through his first 10 years (113 total victories).

Most Broncos fans are just hoping for a win. Here at Mile High Huddle, we've previewed the game's key matchups, and we've broken down the position groups to determine which club has the advantage.

Our readers should have a pretty good bead on what to expect on Monday night. While there are plenty of matchups and Xs and Os strategies to analyze, the Broncos have a few records and statistical milestones within reach in Seattle.

Here's what Broncos fans should be watching for.

Russell Wilson: Multiple Milestones at Stake

Wilson needs two more TD passes to tie QB Carson Palmer (294) for 14th-most in NFL history. While it's unlikely he'll break the single-game NFL record for passing scores in his debut as a Bronco, he needs eight passing touchdowns to reach 300 for his career.

When Wilson reaches the 300 club, he'll become the fifth active QB to reach that milestone. To boot, Wilson has 29 primetime victories on his NFL resume. A win in Seattle would improve his record in primetime games to 30-11-1.

Justin Simmons' Milestones

Simmons is on the hunt for three interceptions, which would tie Hall-of-Famer Steve Atwater (24) for ninth-most in Broncos history. Simmons also needs just one more pass defensed to become the fourth Bronco all-time with at least 50 passes defensed.

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Patrick Surtain II's Milestones

Surtain started his NFL career off with a bang. Entering the first game of his second year, he needs one interception to become the second player in team history to post five or more picks in their first 17 career games. Steve Foley produced six in his first 17.

Surtain also needs one pass deflection to tie cornerbacks Chris Harris, Jr. and Lenny Walls for the sixth-most passes defensed by a Bronco in his first two seasons.

Javonte Williams' Milestone

Williams also got out to a hot start as a rookie last season. Entering Year 2, he needs 97 rushing yards to reach the 1,000-yard milestone for his career.

Melvin Gordon's Milestone

Gordon re-signed with Denver earlier this spring to complement Williams. However, now entering his eighth NFL season, Gordon has a milestone in sight.

He needs one touchdown to move into a four-way tie for the most offensive touchdowns by an active running back since 2015. Gordon entered the league as a 2015 first-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers (then-San Diego).

Brandon McManus' Multiple Milestones

The Broncos' longest-tenured player, and the only remaining contributor from Super Bowl 50, has a shot at some history on Monday night. McManus needs five more field goals to reach 200 career regular-season kicks made.

He also needs one more field goal of 50-plus yards to tie Dan Bailey (33) for the 15th-most all-time.

Nathaniel Hackett: First Win

Hackett is about to coach his first-ever game as the head man of a team. He needs a win to become the 12th head coach in Broncos history to win his first game with the team and the fourth to do so on the road.

Team Milestones

The Broncos shared a division with the Seahawks for many years. Their history together stretches back decades before Super Bowl XLVIII.

The Broncos need a win to improve to 36-19-0 (.655) overall in the all-time series versus Seattle and 14-14-0 (.500) on the road. A win on Monday night would also give Denver its 200th road victory in franchise history.

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