The first Monday Night Football game of the 2022-23 NFL season saw the Denver Broncos travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks. This was the first time since 2012 that the Seahawks did not have quarterback Russell Wilson on their team.

“It was good to see Russ at home again, we won’t forget what he did for the city,” said Matthew Tortolani, senior international business major and Seahawks fan.

The first game Wilson played for Denver was Monday against the Seahawks in Seattle. The reception of Wilson in Seattle was mostly boos, and a hefty amount of them throughout the whole game. 

“There were so many boos from the fans, almost to the point where the whole stadium was shaking,” said Karrington Kincaid, senior broadcast news major and Seahawks fan.

Fans were quick to forget the 10 seasons Wilson gave the city of Seattle, despite the fact that if it were not for a questionable goal-line decision Wilson and Seattle would have two Super Bowl rings instead of one. 

Wilson was drafted in the third round with the 75th overall pick. Wilson was the quarterback at NC State before transferring to Wisconsin for his senior year where he threw 33 touchdowns and four interceptions.

In Seattle, Wilson put up MVP-like numbers for most of his 10 years with Seattle. In 2013 and 2014 the Seahawks made back-to-back super bowl appearances, winning one of them. 

During the 2020 NFL season, Wilson seemed to be unhappy with the Seahawks’ coaching staff. There were disagreements about how head coach Pete Carroll and Wilson thought the offense should be run during this season, causing Wilson to not be as involved in the offensive game plan and play calls as he would like. 

After the 2021 NFL season, Wilson requested a trade, and the rest is history. Once traded to Denver, Wilson signed a five-year, $245 million extension with the Broncos, solidifying his place with Denver, and giving him the opportunity to run the offense how he wants to run the team.

In the game on Monday, Wilson threw 29/42 for 340 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. The Broncos had two fumbles inside the five-yard line in the game where they lost them both to the Seahawks. 

Wilson’s replacement quarterback in Seattle was Geno Smith who put up elite numbers. Smith threw 23/28 for 195 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. 

Seattle had a 17-13 lead heading into the fourth quarter. After a field goal from the Broncos, Wilson had the ball in the late stages of the game to lead the Broncos on their first game-winning drive of the season. 

“The energy was electric, the crowd was rocking, there’s nothing like a Seahawks home game at Lumen Field,” Kincaid said.

With the stadium rocking and boos ringing out, Wilson and the Broncos elected to kick a 64-yard field goal on fourth and four with 20 seconds left which was no good. This gave Seattle the win, and Wilson and the Broncos their first loss. 

Although Wilson was booed when he first arrived on the field by the fans, after the game there was nothing but respect between Wilson and the Seahawks players and coaching staff. Wilson even switched jerseys postgame with Seattle star receiver DK Metcalf. Wilson and Metcalf both wrote notes to each other on their jerseys.

“Greatest player I’ve ever played with, My big brotha, my fam always, I love you bro!” Metcalf wrote on his jersey to Wilson. 

“DK! I love you bro and would do anything for you! God first always! Love you forever!” Wilson wrote.