Broncos Beat Seahawks 17-14 OT: Bo Nix Wins Despite 107 Yards
Broncos Vs Seahawks
The two top seeds From A Season Ago in Each Conference battled Thursday night to kick off Week Six, with the Broncos defeating the Seahawks 17-14 in overtime. Both quarterbacks in this matchup, Sam Darnold and Bo Nix, have faced heavy scrutiny over the past couple of weeks, and neither played well enough to quiet it. But only one came away with the win: Nix, largely thanks to his defense. Denver's defense, with limited bodies in the secondary and without star defensive backs Patrick Surtain and Talanoa Hufanga, looked more like a liability than a strength, yet the Seahawks held their own. The Broncos picked off Sam Darnold twice—his second straight game with two picks, his third with two picks this season, and his fourth straight game with at least one completion to the opposing team.
This game played out like what we expect from a Thursday night game: both teams running up-to-date software on an out-of-date system. The Broncos’ offensive play caller didn’t appear interested in getting Bo Nix “going” in this game, leaning heavily on the run and short passing game. Nix had a 4.8-yard average depth of target; 70.4% of his passes landed short of the sticks. He finished the game 17-for-27 for 107 passing yards, with a 71.1 passer rating and 17 air yards. What’s more interesting is that Nix isn’t the explosive rusher he was in his first two seasons. His sacks show how elusive Nix was in those first two seasons, with a pressure-to-sack rate below 12%. Nix didn’t complete any pass over ten air yards, but the Broncos still held on to win.
Instead, Denver established the run—or at least tried to—as both teams aimed for clock control. Only Denver succeeded early, recording two rushing touchdowns in the first half: one by RJ Harvey and one by JK Dobbins, who put on his best Bijan impression by forcing missed tackles. The Broncos led the Seahawks 14-3 at halftime, then outscored them 11-0 for the rest of regulation and outgained them for the game. The Seahawks’ defensive line started to take control after halftime, with Leonard Williams and DeMarcus Lawrence playing the role of disruptors, getting into the backfield and blowing up attempts before they started. The Broncos’ offense mustered just a 28% offensive success rate on all offensive plays, generated 183 total net yards and 3.2 yards per play, and posted –0.131 EPA per play.
The Broncos’ defense won the game by forcing turnovers, starting in the second quarter with a forced fumble off Rashid Shaheed, who missed landing down by a millisecond. Instead, a Broncos defender’s knee knocked the ball loose, and the Broncos stopped a Seahawks drive. The two picks in the fourth quarter and overtime gave Seattle a +3 turnover differential and +10.9 EPA per play off turnovers.
Sam Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record in 2024 and the Seahawks to the Super Bowl in 2025, but he’s always had an inconsistent streak. His downfield success has always made up for his lack of control and execution. Darnold's dichotomy played out in full: his five sacks cost the Seahawks 16.9 EPA, but his downfield passing generated big plays. A blitz pickup early in the first quarter put the first two Denver sacks on the board. Seattle couldn’t sniff a run game, and Darnold had to play hero, which went right on some plays and wrong on others: 27-for-51 for 278 yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions, a 10.5-yard average depth of target, and 2-for-5 downfield for 74 passing yards, while facing 24 pressures. The Broncos teed off on Seattle's offensive line, and pressure and inaccuracy contributed to both of Darnold’s interceptions.
In Overtime, Seattle won the toss, but the offense managed just one first down before Ja'Quan McMillian jumped a Deep Darnold Attempt intended for Shaheed. From that point, the Broncos offense wouldn't need much effort- just three plays, 8 yards. Will Lutz drilled a 53-yard FG To Lift The Broncos to 4-2, and the Seahawks 3-3.
Denver played a lot of man-to-man, trusting that Seattle’s outside players wouldn’t consistently beat their defense, and the Seahawks let them get away with it.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba went off for 12 receptions on 16 targets for 134 yards, 0 TDs, including a Wondrous 32 Yard Reception with three defenders surrounding him.
The Seahawks scored their lone touchdown on the ground in the fourth quarter, mostly set up by Darnold’s passing and scrambling. Darnold accounted for nine plays and 53 yards of the Seahawks' 11-play, 67-yard drive. His two-point conversion put Seattle in position to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, and his passing set up the field goal.
We’ve witnessed the Broncos win games without steady contributions from Bo Nix. He’s often ballast in the pocket, so this lackluster home performance at altitude doesn’t concern me about Denver. Can the Broncos consistently win this style of game with little offense, barely converting enough third downs to avoid Eagles comparisons? That’s a bigger question. The Seattle offensive line, more than the lack of offensive talent behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and more than Darnold’s turnovers, doomed the Seahawks’ offense. The Seahawks need a quick rebound game, something to lift the team’s spirits after a bewildering game like Thursday night. Unfortunately, they won't face the Cardinals until Week Nine, after the Chiefs and Bears.
