SEATTLE >> Rookie Bo Nix did his part through the offseason and in training camp to win the starting quarterback job for the Denver Broncos.

The reward? His first game will be played in one of the most challenging environments in the NFL against a defensive scheme no one has seen before.

Good luck, kid.

“Seattle’s a good team. They have a good defense returning (and) a lot of good players with a new scheme. It’ll be interesting to see what they come out and play,” Nix said. “I think they’re going to be very well coached and they’re going to be talented. It’s going to be a hostile environment, but it will be fun. It’ll be a good first game.”

Nix’s debut is one of many interesting storylines for Sunday when the Broncos travel to Seattle to face the Seahawks.

The last time Denver visited Seattle two years ago, it was another highly anticipated debut for a Broncos quarterback. But the first game of the Russell Wilson era in Denver ended up defining most of his time with the Broncos — a disappointing performance and a frustrating outcome.

Seattle won that night and continued to overall win the trade that sent Wilson to Denver and landed the Seahawks a bevy of draft picks. But both teams have undergone massive makeovers since that Monday night game that opened the 2022 season.

Denver is in the second season of its overhaul under Sean Payton and has handed the QB position to Nix in the hopes of washing away the problems of the two seasons with Wilson. Nix made such an impression on his teammates, he was voted an offensive captain. It marked the first time since Floyd Little in 1967 that a Broncos rookie enters the season opener with a “C” on his jersey.

“You get a young player like Bo Nix, there are certain skill sets he has (and) strengths and weaknesses. Hopefully we build on the strengths and then really minimize the things maybe that a young player might face to open up the start of the season,” Payton said.

Seattle has also faced massive change, with Pete Carroll being let go and Mike Macdonald hired to take over as the youngest coach in the NFL. Many of Seattle’s pieces are the same, but the system is dramatically different.

“You really just have to focus on executing your stuff the best you possibly can and make them beat you throwing your fastball,” Macdonald said. “That’s been the message to the guys. We’re going to be running our stuff from now until whenever.”

The changes in Seattle have created mixed expectations for what the season could be. Externally, the Seahawks are viewed as a .500 team with BetMGM Sportsbook setting the team’s over/under win total at 7½.

Internally, there is a quiet sense of confidence. The Seahawks like the fact they’re being undervalued with very little buzz about them.

There’s no questioning the skill position talent on the roster. The unknowns rest around the offensive line and how quickly Seattle’s defense can improve from last season.