3 must-win games on the first half of the Seahawks schedule

After months of focusing on the combine, free agency, the draft, minicamps and preseason, the wait is almost over. At long last, it's time to ask that most American of questions — Are you ready for some football?

The Seattle Seahawks better hope that they are, because they face a first-half schedule that doesn't do new head coach Mike Macdonald any favors as he tries to ease into his new role. The latter part of the season is loaded with division games, meaning the Seahawks will have a chance to make some hay in the NFC West when it matters most, but with one big caveat: they need to do well enough early to remain in the hunt.

Macdonald, who served as DC of the Baltimore Ravens the past two seasons, will have his defensive acumen put to the test early and often against some of the best offenses in the NFL. In the first eight weeks of the season alone, the Seahawks will go up against the high-flying Dolphins, the improvisational wizardry of Josh Allen, and the multi-faceted attacks of the Lions and 49ers.

Stealing one or two of those games would go a long way toward minting the Seahawks as a playoff team, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. In order to be considered a good team, let alone a postseason contender, a team first has to take care of business against inferior opponents. Luckily for the Seahawks, they get three such teams early, which could allow them to hit the ground running before the schedule really toughens up. Here are three games the Seahawks have to win to stay competitive in the NFC.

Home versus the Broncos, Week 1

In a strange scheduling anomaly, the Seahawks are hosting the Broncos in Week 1 for the second time in three seasons. Two years ago, the Seattle defense shined in a 17-16 win as it stifled former Seahawk Russell Wilson in his first game since being traded away.

Wilson won't be returning to the Pacific Northwest for another homecoming this time around, as he was jettisoned this offseason after two subpar seasons in Denver. Wilson never really meshed with new Broncos head coach Sean Payton when he took over last year, leading to a messy breakup that saw the former Super Bowl champ benched late in the season before ultimately being cut and signing with the Steelers.

With Wilson gone, Broncos fans are ready to turn the page, and they've become very excited about the dawn of the Bo Nix era. The 12th overall pick has looked sharp this preseason in winning the QB1 job over Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson, but even if he proves all those that doubted him on draft night wrong, it shouldn't be in Week 1 against a jacked-up Lumen Field crowd.

The Broncos haven't had a winning season since 2016, and most pundits expect them to take a step back from their 8-9 record a year ago. Excitement for Nix aside, this is a team that does seem to be in rebuilding mode, as they let All-Pro safety Justin Simmons walk and traded wideout Jerry Jeudy to the Browns for just a fifth- and sixth-round pick. Most sportsbooks have Denver's over/under at 5.5, which is one of the lowest totals in the league.

Denver's skill position talent is near the bottom of the league. Combine that with the home-field advantage for the Seahawks and the fact that rookie quarterbacks typically don't fare well in their first NFL start, and you have all the makings of a Seahawks win.

On road at the Patriots, Week 2

The end of September will prove to be extremely difficult, but I'd argue that no team in the league has a more manageable two-game slate to begin the year than the Seahawks. That's because they follow up Week 1's matchup with the Broncos with a road date at New England.

This isn't your father's Patriots. Tom Brady isn't walking through that door. Bill Belichick and Malcolm Butler aren't walking through that door. The days of teams fearing a trip to Gillette Stadium are on indefinite hold. The Patriots, who like the Seahawks are breaking in a new head coach in Jerod Mayo, are the current favorites to "win" the No. 1 pick in next year's draft.

New England has some talent on the defensive side of the ball, but on offense, their situation is even more dire than the Broncos'. Career journeyman Jacoby Brissett is likely to start at quarterback, at least early in the year, and he's functional at best. Surrounding him is a wide receiving corps that consists of Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas, and rookie Ja'Lynn Polk. Seattle doesn't have to reinvent the Legion of Boom to stop that.

Even against a Patriots defense that figures to be pretty good, Seattle should be able to move the ball. The Seahawks boast a stable of weapons on offense, with a talented trio of receivers, a deep backfield, and Geno Smith, who has a clear edge over Brissett. If new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's system is half as explosive as it was in college, this Seahawks offense is going to hum.

Home versus the Giants, Week 5

The Seahawks went on the road to play the Giants in Week 4 last year, and they left MetLife Stadium with a dominating 24-3 win. Seattle's defense bruised and battered Daniel Jones to the tune of 11 sacks, two picks, and two forced fumbles, and you can bet that Mike Macdonald will have watched that tape on repeat before this meeting.

Jones will still be working his way back from ACL surgery when the teams meet this time, but that's just the beginning of the bad news for the embattled Giants quarterback. Seattle's defensive line is much improved from the unit that was only one away from tying the modern single-game sack record a year ago, thanks to a couple of key moves by GM John Schneider. First, he procured defensive end Leonard Williams from the Giants in a late-October trade before re-signing him to a massive three-year extension in March. Then he added arguably the best defensive player in the draft when he selected Byron Murphy II out of Texas with the 16th overall pick.

Williams, Murphy, and returning starter Jarran Reed are simply too much for the Giants offensive line, and that's before you figure in the deafening crowd noise that the G-Men didn't have to deal with last time. The Giants are hoping that their own first-round pick, Malik Nabers, is the kind of game-breaking playmaker they've been lacking for years, but between the pressure Seattle's line will get and the presence of second-year Pro Bowl corner Devon Witherspoon, the Seahawks should be able to limit his impact.

Last year, the Giants ranked 26th in the league in points allowed and 29th in rushing defense. New York will have to load the box against Kenneth Walker III to have any chance of slowing the Seahawks' attack down, which will open up play-action for Geno, an area in which he is perpetually underrated. Barring any unforeseen injuries, this game should be a rout.