The Seahawks vs. Broncos Rivalry Just Got More Interesting

The Seattle Seahawks are set to play the Denver Broncos in Week 6 on Thursday Night Football, but smoke is already brewing between the two teams.

Mike Macdonald before the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Dallas Cowboys. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Seattle Seahawks don't play the Denver Broncos for more weeks, but the storylines between the two teams took a turn after an interview with head coach Mike Macdonald from Graham Bensinger was released.

Macdonald spoke about his first game as the Seahawks head coach, which came against the Broncos in the 2024 season opener. The Seahawks won 26-20, but the way they prepared for the game irked Payton, who was also in his first game as Broncos head coach. Seattle scoured the internet for Broncos training camp videos and used those as part of their film to study the team.

Payton didn't take too kindly to that.

"So he got wind of it, and he lost it," Macdonald said of Payton in an interview with Bensinger. "And it's the middle of the season, and we won the game, and we were in the fight our first year... And so he called John. He basically threatened to come out publicly and do a whole Patriots Spygate type of thing. And I'm sitting there like, 'Oh my God.' I'm like, 'We didn't cheat.'"

Seahawks vs. Broncos Rivalry Takes Another Turn

Denver Broncos defensive tackle D.J. Jones celebrates a holding penalty against Seattle Seahawks guard Anthony Bradford. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Payton also took his issue to Seahawks general manager John Schneider and wanted to make a spectacle of the team's decision to utilize public Twitter videos to prepare for the game. The Seahawks threatened Payton and the Broncos with legal action if they defamed them in public on insufficient grounds. That's when Payton and the Broncos let it go and moved on.

Last season, the two teams did not play each other in the regular season, but they were the number one seeds in their respective conferences. Both teams made it to the conference championship and could have met in the Super Bowl, but Seattle advanced while Denver was eliminated by the New England Patriots.

The former AFC West divisional rivals don't play each other very often anymore, but it's moments like these that spark a rivalry that spans several decades.

The two teams are set to meet up in Week 6 on October 15 inside Empower Field at Mile High Stadium for what should be a very intriguing Thursday Night Football matchup that could dictate the playoff pictures in both conferences.

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