Seattle Seahawks: The dud and stud of game 1 – Denver

Every week the Seattle Seahawks play, Emerald City Swagger will have a dud and stud of the game. It’s a way to honor those who have played well and also call out the players who didn’t.

The Seattle Seahawks dropped a tough game in Denver to open the season. Overall, the team played a decent game. There were successes in the offensive passing game and defensive secondary. There were also disappointments, specifically with the offensive line and turnovers.

Dud of the week – Shaquem Griffin

2nd Dishonorable Mention – Team Tackling: There was way too much arm tackle attempts and too few wrap-ups.

1st Dishonorable Mention – The Offensive Line: Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, was pressured early and often. Von Miller destroyed them.

I feel terrible for writing it, Shaquem Griffin is the dud of week one. The reason I’m upset about it is that I think eventually Griffin will be a very good player in the NFL. Picking on a rookie in his first game is harsh, but Griffin had a bad game.

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On Denver’s first score, Griffin got crossed up and didn’t get out and cover the flat. Phillip Lindsay caught a screen pass from Case Keenum with no player in a white jersey anywhere near him. The Denver halfback took off down the left side for a 29-yard touchdown.

Later in the game, he got beat downfield by Denver’s tight end for a 20 yard gain. He wasn’t impressive against the run either and his tackling was sub-par.

The rookie played over half the of possible snaps he could. If K.J. Wright wasn’t injured, Griffin wouldn’t have been in the game quite as much in critical situations. The linebacker’s story is incredible, and his determination, undeniable. He’s smart enough to learn from this week and move forward. So far he doesn’t seem like the type of player who is happy to be average.

Stud of the week – Bradley McDougald

2nd Honorable Mention Frank Clark: Aside from the fact he had the Seahawks only sack, Clark had a good game. If you rewatch it, you’ll see Clark pressuring Keenum several times into poor throws.

1st Honorable Mention Will Dissly: Three receptions for 105 yards and one touchdown was one heck of a debut for the fourth-round draft pick from Washington.

Bradley McDougald might finally be the player we thought he could be when Pete Carroll and John Schneider signed him back in 2017. He was everywhere yesterday making play after play. McDougald dropped an easy pick opportunity early in the game but came back and ended up with two interceptions and also broke up many passes.

His second pickoff was huge. The previous play, Denver had gotten the ball when linebacker Von Miller stripped Chris Carson giving the Broncos first and 10 from the Seattle 40. McDougald then intercepted the Keenum pass and took it back 39 yards and into Denver territory.

McDougald flew around the field creating hell for the Broncos and their passing game all day long. Additionally, he looked sharp in zone coverage. There really wasn’t much more Seahawks defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. could have asked from him.

The 12th man is waiting for the next edition of the Legion of Boom. With Earl Thomas as a mentor to McDougald, they are a very formidable duo in the deep middle.

Jaymin Bernhardt also contributed to this article.