In a game that looked like a 1980s flashback with the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos wearing their throwback uniforms from their AFC West rivalry days, the defending Super Bowl champs appear to have lost their swagger.
The Broncos took a double-digit lead into halftime, but needed overtime to escape with a 17-14 victory over the visiting Seahawks in primetime on Thursday night. The victory upped Denver’s record to 4-2 on the year and improved their home record to 17-3 since the start of the 2024 season, while Seattle dropped to the .500 mark at 3-3 for the first time this season. The reeling Seahawks have lost three of their last four games.
The Broncos remain fortunate in close games. All four of Denver’s wins this season have come by seven points or fewer, and dating back to last season, the Broncos have won their last 14 regular-season games decided by a single score.
Here are my takeaways.
1.
Sam Darnold Can’t Shake The Funk
Since returning from a glute injury, Darnold’s struggles have continued for Seattle. He finished 27 of 51 for 278 yards, with no touchdown passes and two interceptions — and both picks came at a bad time.
The first one was on a bad throw that stopped a potential scoring drive in the final minutes of the fourth quarter and the second one came in overtime, which sealed Seattle’s fate. Darnold now has seven interceptions this season, and he was under duress most of the night by Denver’s defense and didn’t make many plays down the field.
Darnold was sacked five times and struggled to handle Denver’s pressure. Darnold finished 6 of 19 for 47 yards and two interceptions when pressured by the Broncos’ defensive front, according to Next Gen Stats. It’s fair to wonder if the Seahawks might consider a change to Drew Lock at quarterback, who played well while Darnold was injured.
With Broncos standout defensive backs Patrick Surtain II and Talanoa Hufanga unavailable because of injury, Denver slowed down Seattle’s No. 1 target Jaxon Smith-Njigba early. However, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year exploded late, finishing with 12 receptions for 134 yards. Entering Thursday’s contest, Smith-Njigba led the NFL with 583 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
2.
Bo Nix Looks A Little More Comfortable, But Still Not Playing Well Enough
Broncos head coach Sean Payton, who was serving in his second game as Denver’s offensive playcaller since taking back that role from offensive coordinator Davis Webb, had Nix playing with his most confidence this season, at least in the opening portion of Thursday’s game.
The Broncos leaned on the running game to take pressure off Nix, which created easy completions for the Oregon product. Nix was efficient, finishing 17-of-27 for 107 yards, with no touchdowns and no touchdowns. Payton schemed up quick throws for Nix, who was sacked twice and rarely felt pressure from one of the best defenses in the NFL.
However, that momentum from the first half failed to carry into the second half. Denver couldn’t close out the game, totaling just 30 yards and six punts in the second half. It went three-and-out ahead of four of those punts, allowing Seattle to get back into the game despite its offensive woes all night long.
3.
Seattle’s Darkside Defense Rebounds After Slow Start
Speaking of that Seattle defense, the Seahawks are off their game defensively to start the year. Seattle allowed 30 or more points just twice last season. However, the Seahawks have given up at least 30 points in two of their last three games and allowed a Denver offense that had been struggling to establish control of the game early by taking a 14-3 lead into halftime.
Specifically, Seattle’s usually stout defense allowed the Broncos to march down the field on two touchdown drives that went for a combined total of 153 yards on 25 plays. The Broncos’ ability to run the football against the Seahawks allowed Nix to play from a comfortable pocket most of the game, and Seattle got little pressure on Denver’s quarterback, who was pressured on just 20% of his dropbacks (He finished 0-for-4 on those throws).
But the Seahawks’ defense had a stronger showing in the second half. As we mentioned earlier, the Broncos only had 30 yards in the final 30 minutes, as the Seahawks’ defense gave their team a chance to win the game.
