The Seahawks opened the Mike Macdonald era with a 26-20 win over the Denver Broncos, and there's no better way to celebrate the occasion that with a mailbag… OK, there are most likely much better ways to celebrate, but we're doing a mailbag anyway, so get on board.

As always, thanks to everyone who asked questions this week, and apologies if I wasn't able to get to yours this time around. And remember, the mailbag is always open for submissions at Seahawks.com/mailbag.

@MrEd315 asks, "What areas does the team need to work on prior to the next game against the Patriots?"

A: There was a lot to like in the Seahawks' opener, most notably a very strong start-to-finish performance by the defense, but as Mike Macdonald noted both after the game and again on Monday, there are also plenty of things for the coaching staff and players to work on prior to their next game.

The most obvious thing would be for the offense to clean up the issues that led to a slow start, including a turnover, two safeties, multiple penalties to start drives, and a lot of first-half pressure on Geno Smith. There was also a muffed punt by rookie Dee Williams that set up a Denver field goal. The good news, however, is that the Seahawks cleaned things up and rattled off 17 second-half points. That being said, the Seahawks know that that the type of mistakes they overcame last Sunday could cost them games in the future, so getting those things cleaned up will be crucial moving forward.

@natedawg338 asks, "Were the offensive line struggles in the first half scheme issues or guys getting beat?"

A: When the quarterback is sacked on the first play of the game, then hit on the second, resulting in an interception, and when a holding penalty leads to a safety, then clearly, as Macdonald put it Monday, "There's room for improvement. No one's going to turn the tape on in the first half and be excited about what they saw."

On a more encouraging note, the line did play a lot better, and there was some really good run blocking happening in the second half as Kenneth Walker rushed for 84 of his 103 yards. It's also worth remembering that the line was playing without its top two right tackles for most of the game—George Fant, starting in place of an injured Abraham Lucas, left with a first-quarter knee injury—and that starting center Connor Williams was playing less than a year removed from a torn ACL and having only joined the team in mid-August. Williams fared well, all things considered, but he'll only get better, and the line as a whole will get more comfortable with its new center as he spends more time with that group.

"To their credit, they kept plugging away, and I thought in the second half, the guys played well together," Macdonald said. "There are a couple of plays you want back. But, on the whole, I thought the second half did a great job of those guys responding and coming back and playing some good football."

And if you really want to feel better about the line after a day that featured some issues, go back and watch the play of left tackle Charles Cross, who after a great training camp opened his season with a very strong game. Yes, offensive line play takes more than one player, but having a standout left tackle is a great place to start for any line.

@Ole-Overholser asks, "Should I be more excited for Pharaoh Brown's Seahawks debut or Uchenna Nwosu's return?"

A: We don't know yet when either player will be back, but you have good reason to be excited for both. But if you're asking me to choose one, it has to be Nwosu. That's not a knock on Brown, who should have a big role when he returns, but as the draft and free-agent spending consistently shows, edge rushers are very valuable, and Nwosu is a really good one. During his first season with the Seahawks in 2022, Nwosu was arguably the Seahawks' best player on defense, and he was very good last year as well before suffering a midseason pectoral injury that landed him on injured reserve. Seattle is deeper at outside linebacker than last year to handle his absence for now, but Nwosu's return will only make what looked to be a very good defensive front in Week 1 even better going forward.

None of that is to say, however, that Brown's return won't be a big help as well. The Seahawks signed Brown because as general manager and president of football operations John Schneider said at the time, they rate him as one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL. Brown also showed some good pass-catch ability in camp, and he should help on special teams too, but more than anything, a big, physical tight end should be important for a team that wants to be defined by tough, physical play in all three phases.

@AlexKures asks, "How did Connor Williams do in his Seahawks debut?"

A: The fact that Williams was on the field at all speaks volumes about his work ethic and football IQ. Williams tore his ACL late last season, so he not only had to make a quick recovery from a physical standpoint, he then also had to learn a new offense and fit in with a new line while playing one of the most mentally challenging positions on offense other than quarterback.

Williams will only get better going forward, but he was pretty darn impressive in his debut despite having a lot working against him.

"Connor did a great job," Macdonald said. "There are a lot of things that we're asking from that position, especially about the way he leads the group. I think he does a great job. The fact that he's learned this entire new vocabulary in such a short amount of time and is able to kind of direct the show speaks volumes about him and the prep that he has in our coaches. Just really excited for Connor. I thought it was a great first game for him."

@michaelpherman asks, "What are the Top 3 things Marshawn Lynch most likely said to Mike Macdonald, wrong answers only version."

A: In case you somehow missed it, Seahawks Legend Marshawn Lynch had a funny moment during Sunday's game in which he came up behind Macdonald, rubbed the coach's shoulders for a moment, then had a quick chat with him, with all of this taking place during the first quarter of the game.

Macdonald said after the game and again on Monday that he doesn't really remember the details of the conversation—he was in the middle of coaching a football game, after all—but said there was some talk about defense.

"He did say something about our defense playing well or something and then I think I said 'Hey, we've got three more quarters to play,'" Macdonald said.

So with Macdonald not remembering the details, let's come up with some ideas of what they could have been discussing.

Suggesting Macdonald should celebrate his first NFL victory "Marshawn leaping into the end zone" style.

Whether or not Geno Smith would write back after beating the Broncos for a second time.

Last options? Lynch was reminding Macdonald to have the Seahawks “run through a (expletive’s) face."

@WasEinHumburg asks, "When is the next Germany game?"

A: That's way above my paygrade, so if that is already in the works, I'm sure not in on those conversations, but I will say that I would love a chance to go back to Germany for a game in the near future. The team's game in Munich was an outstanding experience, both in terms of the game-day environment but also just the enthusiasm for both teams within the city throughout the week.

With NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell saying last week that he wants to see more international games in the near future—he told reporters he hoped to get up to 16 per season—and with the Seahawks being awarded international marketing rights in Germany, Austria and Switzerland earlier this year, a return to Germany in the near future would make a lot of sense. When will that happen? I can't tell you, but have a stein of beer ready for me when it does.