Broncos Four Downs: Did Seahawks figure out Vance Joseph’s defense in the second half?

: Think Bo Nix misses Tim Patrick? While it would be silly to pin the Broncos’ passing game struggles on the decision to waive the oft-injured wide receiver, it sure didn’t look great early on when Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Courtland Sutton dropped catchable third-down passes in the first half. Nix and Patrick memorably showed some chemistry working with one another during the preseason. After one game, the rookie quarterback didn’t find that guy (Josh Reynolds?) until it was too late.

The question is how long it will take for that to show up for an entire game. : The burst was incredible. The hurdle? Even better.



The ball security? Something to work on. Rookie running back Audric Estime’s first NFL regular-season carry, coming on the first snap of the second quarter, had it all. A gain of 12 yards with more twists and turns than a ride at Elitch Gardens, capped by a fumble that was fortuitously pounced on by veteran tight end Adam Trautman.

Estime didn’t get another carry the rest of the half, providing a valuable lesson for the fifth-round pick out of Notre Dame: Don’t ever do that again. : Jonathon Cooper told anyone who would listen what his goal was this fall: Double-digit sacks. It turns out that might not just be preseason puffery.

One snap into Sunday, and No. 0 already had sack No. 1.

No. 2 came just before halftime. Such was the story for the Broncos defensive front in the first half, which notched six tackles for loss, two sacks and pressured Geno Smith into an Alex Singleton interception.

The Broncos entered the season convinced they had solved their problems in the trenches. The first two quarters provided evidence in the affirmative. As for the last two quarters.

.. : Whether it was because they spent too much time on the field, or Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb figured out Denver defensive coordinator Vance Joseph at halftime, something happened to the Broncos defense at the break.

If you thought the Broncos’ troubles against the run were behind them, the last two quarters argued otherwise. If you thought their pass rush was suddenly a problem, there wasn’t much evidence of that in the final 30 minutes. Is it unfair to ask the defense to play lights out for four quarters? Probably.

But to win games like these with a rookie QB, it might be necessary..