NFL Week 1 Odds, Picks & Predictions: Monday Night Football (Broncos vs. Seahawks)

Here is our preview and best bet for the 2022 NFL Week 1 Monday Night Football contest between the Broncos vs. Seahawks.

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NFL Week 1 Odds, Picks & Predictions: Broncos vs. Seahawks

Broncos (-6.5) vs. Seahawks

Russell Wilson will feel right at home in his first game with the Broncos. What better place to start his tenure with Denver than in Seattle, where he spent 10 years? The new head coach, Nathaniel Hackett, will provide a more pass-happy offense for Wilson to operate. He immediately makes Denver a contender for the Super Bowl, irrespective of their extremely tough division.

Seattle, of course, lost Wilson and also long-time linebacker Bobby Wagner. They have decided to rebuild and focus on drafting a quarterback from the 2023 class. For now, Geno Smith will be starting at quarterback and has another chance to prove he deserves to be a starter. He has a lifetime 58.8% completion rate and a 34-37 touchdown to interception ratio. He will have trouble scoring enough points to keep up against Denver’s secondary.

Pick: Broncos -6.5

Over/Under Total: 44

In games started by Geno Smith last year, the Seahawks averaged 20.3 PPG (if you take away a matchup against the dysfunctional Jaguars, that average drops to 15 PPG). Pete Carroll and the Seahawks offense will want to pound the rock and play ball control on Monday night to keep the ball out of Russell Wilson’s hands in his return to Seattle, so I predict that this game will have a very slow game script. Additionally, Denver’s new coach Nathaniel Hackett comes over from Green Bay, whose offense ranked dead last in the NFL in pace of play last year and featured prominent roles for dual RBs. Combining this information with the fact that Denver posted the league’s second-best scoring defense in 2021 should lead this game to go under the point total of 44.

Pick: u44

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