RENTON, Wash. (AP) — For what a first-time head coach wants to get out of an opening game, Mike Macdonald couldn’t have asked for much more.
The Seattle Seahawks looked in many ways how Macdonald wanted. They were aggressive and played with an edge on defense. Their skill position talent on offense flashed at times. The Seahawks faced adversity and overcame issues that at times were self-inflicted.
Most importantly, Seattle won and allowed its first-time coach a moment to celebrate.
“A lot of family and friends were in town so it was cool to take a breath and watch the rest of the Sunday night game and just enjoy each other’s company and cherish the victory,” Macdonald said.
But there isn’t much that Seattle learned from its season-opening 26-20 win over Denver as to where the Seahawks stand on the broader scale. It’s a game they were supposed to win facing a lesser opponent that’s in transition and started a rookie quarterback.
For their part, the Seahawks did what was necessary. The defense made Bo Nix look the part of a rookie and forced three turnovers. Kenneth Walker III rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown with most of those coming in a dominant third quarter. Offensively, the Seahawks overcame a horrific first half to show flashes in the final 30 minutes of the potential under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.
Still, for all the positives that Macdonald and his staff will take away from getting the victory it wasn’t much of a test. It’s likely a couple of more weeks — maybe Miami in Week 3 — before the Seahawks face an opponent where there is a true comparison of where they are in the broad view of the league.
“Obviously we got a lot of room for improvement, but so far so good,” QB Geno Smith said.
The secondary was advertised as the strength of Seattle’s defense and it appeared to be worthy of the praise. Riq Woolen and Julian Love both grabbed interceptions. K’Von Wallace forced a key fumble. Devon Witherspoon nearly had a couple of picks himself. Tre Brown came up with a key pass deflection on a third down and Rayshawn Jenkins provided some physical hits that helped set a tone for the defense.
Jenkins, Love, Witherspoon and Woolen played every snap. Expect that to continue.
Seattle’s offensive line was already the biggest concern entering the season and the opener did nothing to change that opinion. Right tackle George Fant went down with a knee injury in the first quarter. Guards Anthony Bradford and Laken Tomlinson were overrun at times, and center Connor Williams appeared to be still working to get fully settled coming off an ACL injury suffered last December.
The group played better in the second half and left tackle Charles Cross was solid all day. But collectively, they must play better moving forward.
“No one is going to turn on the tape of the first half and be excited about what they saw,” Macdonald said. “But to their credit they kept plugging away.”
Macdonald acknowledged that Tyler Lockett was a little frustrated by how training camp went. About to enter his 10th season, Lockett was slowed by a leg issue that left him a spectator more than he wanted. But when the opener arrived, Lockett was more than ready. He ended up being the favorite target of Smith in the opener with six catches on seven targets for 77 yards and a terrific one-handed grab to convert a third down in the final minutes to clinch the victory.
Seattle will hope that it becomes a learning experience for rookie return specialist Dee Williams after he fumbled a punt in the opener. Williams was an undrafted free agent who made the roster because of his dynamic speed and elusiveness as a returner and contributor on other special teams.
The biggest concern is Fant, who was already stepping in for expected starter Abraham Lucas. Lucas is currently on the physically unable to perform list with his own knee issues.
Walker sat most of the fourth quarter because of an abdominal muscle issue and will be something to watch moving forward.
13 — Seattle was the first team in 13 years to give up multiple safeties in a game and win — not that it happens often. Arizona allowed two against St. Louis in 2011 and eventually won the game in overtime. Sunday was the 16th time since the merger a team allowed multiple safeties in a game.
Seattle makes the first of four trips to the eastern time zone traveling to New England on Sunday. The Seahawks haven’t played the Patriots on the road since 2016 and this will be just the second trip there since 2004.
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Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams (33) carries as Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) and teammates defend during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) prepares to throw during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Seattle. Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton intercepted the throw. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald reacts during the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) is tackled by Denver Broncos players during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — In Indian-controlled Kashmir, many people boycotted elections for decades in protest against Indian rule. But in the run-up to the local election beginning Wednesday, many are willing to buck that trend and use their vote to deny Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party the power to form a local government in the disputed region.
The vote is the first in a decade, and the first since Modi’s Hindu nationalist government in 2019 scrapped the Muslim-majority region’s special status and downgraded the former state to a federally governed territory. The move — which largely resonated in India and among Modi supporters — was mostly opposed in the region as an assault on its identity and autonomy.
“Boycotts will not work in this election,” said Abdul Rashid, a resident in southern Kashmir’s Shangus village. “There is a desperate need to end the onslaught of changes coming from there (India).”
The election will allow residents to have their own truncated government and a local parliament called an assembly, instead of remaining under New Delhi’s direct rule. The region’s last assembly election was held in 2014, after which Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party for the first time ruled the region in a coalition with the local Peoples Democratic Party.
But the government collapsed in 2018 after BJP withdrew from the coalition. Polls in the past have been marked with violence, boycotts and vote-rigging, even though India called them a victory over separatism.
This time, New Delhi says the polls are ushering in democracy after more than three decades of strife. However, many locals see the vote as an opportunity not only to elect their own representatives but also to register their protest against the 2019 changes.
Polling will be held in three phases. The second and third phases are scheduled for Sept. 25 and Oct. 1. Votes will be counted on Oct. 8, with results expected that day.
Kashmir is divided between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan. Since 1947, the neighbors have fought two wars over its control, after British rule of the subcontinent ended with the creation of the two countries. Both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety.
In 2019, the Indian-controlled part of the region was divided into two territories, Ladakh and Jammu-Kashmir, ruled directly by New Delhi. The region has been on edge since it lost its flag, criminal code, constitution and inherited protections on land and jobs.
Multiple pro-India Kashmiri parties, many of whose leaders were among thousands jailed in 2019, are contesting the election, promising to reverse those changes. Some lower-rung separatist leaders, who in the past dismissed polls as illegitimate exercises under military occupation, are also running for office as independent candidates.
India’s main opposition Congress party, which favors restoration of the region’s statehood, has formed an alliance with the National Conference, the region’s largest party. Modi’s BJP has a strong political base in Hindu-dominated areas of Jammu that largely favor the 2019 changes but is weak in the Kashmir Valley, the heartland of anti-India rebellion.
“Our main concern is governance through local representatives. It will be good for us if the BJP forms the government here as it’s already in power at the center,” said Chuni Lal, a shopkeeper in Jammu city.
The vote will see a limited transition of power from New Delhi to the local assembly, with a chief minister at the top heading a council of ministers. But Kashmir will continue to be a “Union Territory” — a region directly controlled by the federal government — with India’s Parliament remaining its main legislator.
The elected government will have partial control over areas like education, culture and taxation but not over the police. Kashmir’s statehood must be restored for the new government to have powers similar to other states in India. However, it will not have the special powers it enjoyed before the 2019 changes.
Last year, India’s Supreme Court endorsed the government’s 2019 changes but ordered New Delhi to conduct local polls by the end of September and restore Kashmir’s statehood. Modi’s government has promised to restore statehood after the polls but has not specified a timeline.
Elections in Indian-held Kashmir have remained a sensitive issue. Many believe they have been rigged multiple times in favor of local politicians who subsequently became India’s regional enforcers, used to incrementally dilute laws that offered Kashmir a special status and legitimize New Delhi’s militaristic policies.
In the mid-1980s, the region’s dissident political groups emerged as a formidable force against Kashmir’s pro-India political elite but lost the 1987 election widely believed to have been rigged. A public backlash followed, with some young activists taking up arms and demanding a united Kashmir, either under Pakistani rule or independent of both.
India insists the insurgency is Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, a charge Islamabad denies. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the fighting, which most Kashmiri Muslims consider a legitimate freedom struggle.
Noor Ahmed Baba, a political scientist, said the outcome of the polls “is not going to change the dynamics of the Kashmir dispute” since it will end with a largely powerless legislature, but will be crucial for optics.
“If local parties win, it is going to put some pressure on the central government and perhaps delegitimize from a democratic perspective what has been done to Kashmir. But a BJP win can allow the party to consolidate and validate 2019 changes in the local legislature,” Baba said.
India’s ruling BJP is not officially aligned with any local party, but many politicians believe it is tacitly supporting some parties and independent candidates who privately agree with its stances.
The National Conference party says Modi’s BJP is trying to manipulate the election through independent candidates. “Their (BJP’s) concerted effort is to divide the vote in Kashmir,” said Tanvir Sadiq, a candidate from the National Conference.
The BJP’s national secretary, meanwhile, says his party’s former ally, the Peoples Democratic Party, and the National Conference are being supported by former militants. Ram Madhav said at a recent rally that they want to return the region to its “trouble-filled days.”
For residents whose civil liberties have been curbed, the election is also a chance to choose representatives they hope will address their main issues.
Many say that while the election won’t solve the dispute over Kashmir, it will give them a rare window to express their frustration with Indian control.
“We need some relief and end of bureaucratic rule here,” said Rafiq Ahmed, a taxi driver in the region’s main city of Srinagar.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party workers attend a rally, ahead of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections in Jammu, India, Saturday Sep.7, 2024.(AP Photo/Channi Anand, File)
Former union minster and star campaigner of BJP Anurag Thakur and state in charge Ram Madhav wave to supporters during a campaign rally, after party candidates filed the nomination papers for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections at Nagrota outskirts of Jammu, India, Thursday, Sep.12, 2024.(AP Photo/Channi Anand, File)
Supporters of India's opposition Congress party, wave during an election rally at Dooru some 78 kilometers (49 miles) south of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir,Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File)
Supporters of Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) leader Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, attend a public rally at Baramulla, some 55 kilometers (34 miles) north of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File)
Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) leader Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, speaks during a public rally at Baramulla, some 55 kilometers (34 miles) north of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File)
Policemen stop supporters of National Conference Party from accompanying their candidate during the filing of nomination papers for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections in Jammu, India, Sept.10, 2024. (AP Photo/Channi Anand, File)
Supporters listen as India's opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, unseen, speaks during an election rally at Dooru some 78 kilometers south of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, FILE)
Supporters of India's opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, shout slogans during an election rally at Dooru, some 78 kilometers south of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File)
People watch from a window during a road show of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Arif Laigroo, in Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File)
National Conference (NC) President Farooq Abdullah, center, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti, second right, and other leaders sit during an all parties meeting on restoration of the special status that was stripped last year from Indian-administered Kashmir, in Srinagar, India. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File)
A child looks on as Indian policemen frisk Kashmiri pedestrians during a surprise security check in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File)
Indian security forces walk past Indian flags and flags of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a motorcycle rally by BJP youth wing to the Kargil War Memorial passes through Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, July 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File)
Kashmiris shout slogans during a protest after Friday prayers against the abrogation of article 370, on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, Oct. 4, 2019.(AP Photo/ Dar Yasin, File)
A masked protester throws stone at Indian security forces during a protest after Eid prayers in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Saturday, June 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin, File)
Kashmiris sit outside closed shops painted with graffiti during a curfew in central Srinagar, India, Thursday, Sept. 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin, File)
