Geno Smith threw two first-half touchdown passes, Denver fumbled twice at the 1-yard line in the second half, and the Seahawks beat the Broncos 17-16 on Monday Night Football in Russell Wilson’s return to Seattle.
Brandon McManus missed a 64-yard field goal attempt with 20 seconds left and the Seahawks escaped with a wild victory.
There will be plenty of questions about Denver coach Nathaniel Hackett’s late-game clock management and decisions in his first game.
Denver faced fourth-and-5 at the Seattle 46 and had three timeouts left, but the Broncos ran significant time off the clock before Hackett called timeout and decided to have McManus try the long field goal. The kick missed.
Geno Smith finished 23 of 28 for 195 yards, but was 17 of 18 for 164 yards in the first half.
Russell Wilson was 29 of 42 for 340 yards and a touchdown. But Denver couldn’t overcome its red-zone inefficiency with both Melvin Gordon III and Javonte Williams fumbling on plays snapped at Seattle 1-yard line.
** The Seahawks moved into first place in the NFC West after Arizona, San Francisco and the Los Angeles Rams all lost on Sunday.
** Wilson spent the first 10 seasons of his career in Seattle. He went from being a disputed third-round pick to a franchise cornerstone that helped Seattle to its only Super Bowl title.
