Kyle Orton Rebounds, but Broncos Lose 13-27 to Seahawks

Denver Broncos' Kyle Orton throws down field in the second quarter of an NFL preseason football game against the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Kyle Orton silenced quite a few critics Saturday in Seattle. A week after his disastrous three-interception debut, the Denver Broncos quarterback looked sharp, spreading the ball around and completing over 2/3 of his passes, including 16 of his first 19. However, Matt Hasselbeck and the Seattle Seahawks just looked better, edging out the Broncos in the first half and dominating in the second en route to a 27-13 thumping at Qwest Field.

If it hadn’t been for a dropped pass in the back of the end zone, Orton’s night would have near-perfect. Orton’s first drive ended with his first touchdown as a Bronco. The Broncos marched 78 yards down the field as Orton delivered a fingertip grab to Brandon Stokley in the end zone on a three-yard fade route. Two drives and a field goal later, the Broncos were threatening again in the second quarter when Head Coach Josh McDaniels decided evaluating his players was more important than punching the football in for the score. After a wide open Jabar Gaffney dropped a pass in the back of the end zone, Orton was told to throw two more times – including on fourth down. The last throw was disastrous – a left-handed five-yard duck that was easily intercepted – and marked the only real blemish on a night Orton truly shined. Orton finished with 18 of 26 completions (69.2%), one TD and one INT for a passer rating of 85.7. Had Gaffney held on to the pass two plays earlier, Orton’s rating would have been well into the 100’s.

STOUT ON DEFENSE
The Broncos’ defense did a lot of good things in the first half. They stopped the run, allowing Seattle backs to gain only 20 yards in the first half. Combined with an efficient offense, the Broncos dominated time of possession in the first half, enjoying 18:11 to Seattle’s 11:49. Also, for the second straight week, the defense showed great ability to get to the opposing quarterback. The Broncos notched three sacks in the first half, which were the first sacks the Seahawks had allowed this preseason. D.J. Williams tallied the first while Kenny Peterson added the next two from the defensive end spot, making the Broncos’ preseason total an impressive seven sacks.

Seattle Seahawks' Deon Butler catches a 34-yard touchdown pass while Denver Broncos' Andre' Goodman defends in the first quarter of a NFL preseason football game, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

However, the team’s first half defensive success was bookended by Seattle touchdown drives. Hasselbeck floated a 34-yard rainbow out of the shotgun to Deon Butler, who seemed to be everywhere Saturday night, and scored the game’s opening points despite tight (albeit poorly positioned) coverage from Andre Goodman. The Seahawks netted 15 yards on their next three drives, all ending in punts that included two 3-and-outs, before finding success with the screen play to end the second half. The 14-play, 80-yard drive seemed effortless, and was capped by another Hasselbeck floater over Goodman, this time to T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

WHEELS FALL OFF IN SECOND HALF
Despite ending the half trailing 14-10, there were plenty of positives to be taken from the Broncos’ first-team efforts. That wasn’t the case in the second half, where the Seahawks displayed aggressive playcalling defensively and simply dominated on all sides of the ball, including special teams.

Forcing two turnovers in the second half, the Seahawks outscored the Broncos 13-3 in the third quarter, extending their lead to 27-13, a deficit from which the Broncos would not recover. Seattle was especially dominant at the line of scrimmage, where they sacked Broncos QB’s Chris Simms and Tom Brandstater, who made his preseason debut tonight, five times collectively.

Special teams was clearly in Seattle’s favor as well, as the Seahawks blocked a Britton Colquitt punt, forced a Kenny McKinley fumble, and even displayed great poise after a mistake of their own. Deon Butler fumbled a punt return deep in Seattle territory only to pick it up and still make a move on Broncos pursuers, finally getting pushed out of bounds some 30-40 yards later by the punter Colquitt.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is sacked by Denver Broncos' Kenny Peterson in the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Brandstater was hardly impressive in replacement of Simms, who was injured (more on that later). The coaches went run-heavy with the playbook with Brandstater calling plays, and the rookie only attempted four passes, completing two for a net gain of one yard.

TURNOVERS TELL THE TALE
The Broncos have yet to tally a turnover in the preseason, although there were a couple of close calls tonight. In contrast, they have coughed up the football seven times in preseason play. The secondary has played well, giving the pass rush time to get to the quarterback, but guys aren’t making plays on the ball. Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan is well-known for molding interception-happy defenses; so far that hasn’t been the case in Denver.

INJURY REPORT
The Broncos have quite a few bumps and bruises after Saturday’s game. QB Chris Simms limped off the field in the third quarter and suffered what is being reported as a sprained ankle. Rookie CB Alphonso Smith also left the field in the third quarter and was later seen with a large ice pack around his right knee. Defensive lineman Marcus Thomas went down with a right shoulder injury, and CB Tony Carter was seen limping on his left leg. (via Denver Post)

Overall my take on the game is pretty simple – I liked what I saw in the first half and didn’t like what I saw in the second. The backup offensive line was particularly bad, and the Broncos just couldn’t get anything going on offense in the second half. I’ll be taking a closer look as I re-watch the game over the next few days, so check back for a more detailed, thorough analysis on some of our Broncos from a technical standpoint, and feel free to share anything you noticed in the comments below. Go Broncos!