Well, who knows where the Russell Wilson trade goes from here?
But for one night, this was the team that Pete Carroll envisioned he’d have: gutty, hard-playing, largely mistake-free and ultimately pulling out a win that to most seemed unlikely heading into the game.
The Seahawks are maybe the happiest 1-0 of the Pete Carroll era.
Onto the grades:
Quarterback
Geno Smith did what Carroll wanted — he took care of the ball and made plays when they were there to be made and didn’t force them when they weren’t in going 23 of 28 for 195 yards, two touchdowns and, most important, no turnovers.
He showed that at 31 years old he still has some wheels with six well-timed runs for 14 yards.
Grade: A.
Running back
Rashaad Penny showed lots of burst when he had some chances to get into the open field with 60 yards on 14 carries. He did fumble once, with the Seahawks recovering.
It was a solid overall effort from Penny, who got almost all the snaps, with Travis Homer playing some as a third-down back.
Grade: B-plus.
Receiver
Smith spread the ball around with eight players making catches and all but one getting two or more. And the drops that were an issue in the preseason weren’t this time.
The one bad play was DK Metcalf’s third-quarter fumble that came on the kind of play he has to eliminate. Metcalf had been jawing with Denver defenders and on his fumble appeared to be trying harder than needed to keep the play alive, leading to a opportunity to strip the ball.
Grade: B.
Tight end
This was the kind of tight-end production the Seahawks have long sought as Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson each had touchdowns. The Seahawks’ tight ends had eight receptions for 106 yards. Noah Fant also chipped in three for 16 yards.
Grade: A.
Offensive line
The rookie tackles struggled at times, and the running game wasn’t really there the way the Seahawks hope it will be throughout the season — 62 yards on 13 carries for the running backs — but it mostly held up when pressed.
Rookie right tackle Abraham Lucas was called for a hold in the third quarter that negated a first-down run by Penny.
And Charles Cross was beaten for two sacks in the fourth quarter by Bradley Chubb, one resulting in a Smith fumble. Cross got the ball back to avoid disaster.
The two appeared to hold up well for most of the game until then.
Grade: B-minus.
Defensive line
The pass rush might have been inconsistent, and there were brief periods when Denver’s running game appeared about ready to take over.
This was one of the gutsier efforts by a Seahawks defensive line in years led by newcomers Uchenna Nwosu and Shelby Harris, who each seemed to come up with one big play after another.
Nwosu had seven tackles, two QB hits and a forced fumble, and Harris had three tackles and a QB hit. Darrell Taylor also had two QB hits.
And the line led a huge charge up front on the key goal-line plays that helped turn the game.
Grade: A.
Linebacker
Jordyn Brooks led the way with 12 tackles, and Cody Barton, in the first start of his career for noninjury reasons, added 10, with two for a loss. He had a sack of Wilson in the second quarter and also some good coverage with the key tackle on a pass reception on the final possession that helped force the field-goal attempt.
Grade: A.
Secondary
The Seahawks’ rookie corners predictably took their lumps.
Coby Bryant, in for a series as the nickel back for Justin Coleman, was beaten for a 67-yard TD pass from Wilson to Jerry Jeudy. And Tariq Woolen had two pass-interference penalties that put Denver on the doorstep of touchdowns.
The tackling in the back end — an issue throughout the preseason — reared its head at times Monday night, particularly on the 67-yard TD by Jeudy.
The Seahawks had to play the second half without Jamal Adams, hurt early in the second quarter.
This was a good effort overall with Quandre Diggs making a huge play on the fourth down at the goal line and six tackles as well as a forced fumble.
Grade: B.
Special teams
A solid day here as Jason Myers made his one field goal, and the coverage was solid with Tanner Muse kicking it off with a hard hit on the first kickoff.
Carson Tinker, a practice-squad elevation, handled the long snapping with Tyler Ott injured and appeared to do so well.
Grade: A.