The Seattle Seahawks are 1-0 to start the 2024 season. But this isn’t your ordinary Week 1 victory. It’s not every season (thankfully) that you get to witness someone claim his first win as an NFL head coach. On Sunday, Mike Macdonald accomplished just that with his 26-20 win over Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos.
Seattle overcame a shaky 13-9 halftime deficit where the offense looked more lost than usual, and dominated Denver in the second half. The final score does not indicate how uncompetitive the Broncos looked in the last two quarters. Macdonald was hired primarily to help fix the porous defense, and against Denver, his unit looked ferocious.
After the game, typically it is the head coach who hands out game balls. Macdonald did, giving a specifically themed “closer” ball to wide receiver Tyler Lockett who closed out the game with his third down reception on the final drive.
But Lockett wasn’t the only Seahawk to get special postgame accolades. Quarterback Geno Smith presented his head coach with a game ball to commemorate his first victory as the top man. When asked about during the press conference, Macdonald smiled ear to ear.
“It was awesome,” Macdonald beamed. “I accept it on behalf of everybody. It’s special, it’s obviously our first win. It hasn’t hit me… I mean like it’s hit me, and it’s cool, but it hasn’t quite hit me yet.”
It’s one thing to win your first game, but to win your first game in your first opportunity in front of your home fans? I have a feeling this is a game Mike Macdonald isn’t going to ever forget.
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