5 NFL predictions for Week 2: Bears start to own Aaron Rodgers
By Randy Gurzi
4. Russ gets to cook in Denver
One big shock in Week 1 was when the Denver Broncos suffered a loss on the road to the Seattle Seahawks. Russell Wilson took center stage as his first game in a Broncos uniform naturally came against the team that drafted him back in 2012.
He played better than Geno Smith, throwing for 340 yards and a touchdown while Smith managed 195-yards and two touchdowns. Although Smith does deserve a ton of credit because he played much better than expected and did enough to secure the win.
Having said that, the Broncos still should have won this one had they simply allowed Russ to cook. Wilson and the Denver offense were driving late, trailing 17-16 when they were facing a fourth-and-five. Rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett decided against letting Wilson go after the five yards as he let the clock run down and then went to Brandon McManus who attempted a 64-yard field goal.
Predictably, the kick was no good and Seattle won.
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1569524132269936640?s=20&t=Uw-Nj85hxFFloiqsWOt5Eg
The kick was close and had Denver scored one more first down, McManus likely knocks it through for the win. Despite the outcome, Hackett defended his decision publicly, as did Wilson, put privately they would surely admit they would have done things differently if given the chance.
In Week 2, they’ll make sure we don’t find out if that’s true as the Broncos will unleash Wilson at home against the Texans. In an effort to prove they’re for real, this prediction is that Wilson will throw for another 340-plus yards and lead his new club to a multi-touchdown victory.