After a season-opening loss at Jacksonville, the Broncos are back home to host the Seattle Seahawks in a game Denver quarterback Kyle Orton sees as chance to develop the team's identity.
"Bouncing back is one thing, but we've got to establish a level of play at home that's going to carry us throughout the year," Orton said. "This is a big game for us. I've always said, 'If you're going to be a playoff team -- 7-1, 8-0, 6-2 -- you've got to dominate at home.'
"This will be our first chance to get in front of our fans and hopefully show them the level of play that we're going to have each and every week when we play at home."
The Seahawks face their first road test after a dominating show in their home opener, downing the San Francisco 49ers 31-6 to give first-year coach Pete Carroll a victory in his debut. It's the first time they're in Denver to open the Broncos' home season since 1988, when they emerged with a 21-14 win.
Denver though, is an NFL best 23-3 in home openers since 1984, and has won its last 10, matching the third-longest such streak in NFL history. The Broncos lead the series with Seattle 31-18, including a 20-5 mark in Denver against the Seahawks, a former AFC West rival.
"I think one of the big keys for us is when we play well early at home, it's a huge advantage," said Josh McDaniels, starting his second season as Broncos coach. "We are always going to focus on trying to get off to a great start and giving our fans a great deal of energy and helping them become a major factor in the game because that's what they were in a lot of our wins last year."
However, Seattle won the last meeting between the teams in Denver in 2006, when Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck led Seattle on a last-minute drive ending in a field goal for a 23-20 victory.
Who: Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos
Where: INVESCO Field at Mile High; Denver
When: Sunday, Sept. 19, 4:05 p.m. ET
TV Coverage: KCNC-TV (Channel 4, Denver)
Though Hasselbeck remains Seattle's quarterback, the Broncos will be facing a Seahawks team that has had the most roster turnover in the league this year, with the club making 187 roster transactions since Carroll and general manager John Schneider joined the organization earlier this year.
Of the 53 players on the roster, only 27 were with the team last season.
McDaniels said the personnel turnover and the infrequent meetings between the teams does somewhat complicate preparations for the Seahawks, though he is familiar with Carroll's style, which was evident in Seattle's aggressivenesse both offensively and defensively in its victory over the 49ers.
McDaniels noted that the Seahawks, on offense, typically don't wait to get into the red zone to take a shot at the end zone.
"Once they cross the 50, they can take some chances at the end zone," he said. "I think that's their style and it's part of what we have to defend well on Sunday."
On defense, he said the Broncos offense has to be ready for frequent blitzes.
"They are big, they are aggressive, they are quick and they rush well," McDaniels said.
One thing the Broncos and Seahawks have in common are banged up offensive lines.
Tyler Polumbus, who was cut in training camp by the Broncos, is expected to start for the second straight week in place of Seahawks' injured left tackle Russell Okung.
Likewise for the Broncos, rookie Zane Beadles is expected to make another start at right tackle in place of injured Ryan Harris and Russ Hochstein will likely start at left guard in place of injured Chris Kuper.
The Line: Broncos by 3.5
Final Score: Broncos 31 Seahawks 14
More Coverage
Seahawks vs Broncos Box Score
Seahawks vs Broncos Play-by-Play
Seahawks vs. Broncos Preview, Score and More
Sep 17, 2010 – 8:22 PM
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