The much-awaited matchup between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks that's filled to the brim with storylines. There was no bigger narrative, however, than Russell Wilson's homecoming in Lumen Field. And the payoff for the drama was immense, as Geno Smith, Wilson's backup in Seattle, led the Seahawks to a gritty 17-16 victory while Wilson was left to watch the baffling final play of the game from the sidelines.

Thus, it's easy to see why viewership for the Monday Night Football game was one of the best the NFL has seen in recent years. According to Ari Meirov of PFF, the Broncos-Seahawks was the most-viewed MNF game since 2009, and the most-watched Week 1 MNF game since 2006, with a total of 19.85 million viewers across all platforms. Those numbers will surely put a smile to commissioner Roger Goodell's face.

Russell Wilson was booed in his return to Seattle, understandably so, after he requested a trade in the offseason due to fallout with the Seahawks management. After being traded to the Broncos in a blockbuster haul that netted the Seahawks two first-rounders, Wilson signed a $245 million extension that should keep Wilson in Denver for years to come.

This is why it was so baffling to see Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett decide to take the ball away from the hands of Wilson at the end of the game, settling instead for a 64-yard field goal attempt in the dying seconds in a bid to steal the game away from the home team. Still, such perplexing late-game decisions, a fiery homecoming narrative, and an underdog performance from the unheralded Geno Smith to take the game away from your former franchise QB in Wilson made for such great television, which is awesome news for the NFL.