The Seattle Seahawks win the highly anticipated duel against the Denver Broncos for Russell Wilson. The quarterback gets none too friendly a welcome on his return to his old home ground

Munich/Seattle – At the end of the 1st day of play in the NFL, the Seattle Seahawks got their first win of the season against the Denver Broncos. The Seahawks won the inter-conference duel with 17:16.

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith made no mistakes and shone with 23/28 completed passes, 195 yards and two touchdowns. Best receivers were Colby Parkinson and tight end Will Dissly, who each caught 43 yards and scored a touchdown. The best runner was Rashaad Penny with 60 yards on twelve runs.

For the Broncos, Russell Wilson completed 29 of his 42 passes for 340 yards, including a touchdown to their most productive receiver Jerry Jeudy, who totalled 102 receiving yards. The most scrimmage yards came from running back Javonte Williams, who totalled 108 yards on seven runs and a whopping eleven catches.

Controversial field goal, Wilson booed

With the final drive, the Broncos had a chance to turn the game around with a field goal. With 20 seconds left to play at the Seahawks’ 46-yard line, rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett opted for a 63-yard field goal attempt by Brandon McManus on fourth down instead of letting Wilson try to get better field position and a new first down.

The 63-yard attempt, which would have been a career best for McManus, missed – sealing the surprising win for the Seahawks.

Wilson, who had been traded from Seattle to Denver in the offseason, was met partly with applause but mostly with boos in his old home.

Despite the win, there was bad news for the hosts: safety Jamal Adams suffered a knee injury in the second quarter and had to be driven off the field. An exact diagnosis is still pending.

The Seahawks head to the San Francisco 49ers, who lost their season opener, for a divisional duel in week two, while the Broncos take on the Houston Texans at home, who took a draw from week one.