Time and time again, the Denver Broncos‘ defense stood tall to stymie the Seattle Seahawks in a 17-14 overtime win to open Week 6 in the NFL. The Broncos racked up five sacks and forced three turnovers against the reigning Super Bowl champions, sending them back to the Pacific Northwest with a surprisingly modest .500 record through six games. Denver, meanwhile, improved to 4-2 with the “Thursday Night Football” triumph.
The third of those takeaways came in overtime when Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold threw his second interception in three possessions. That set up a game-winning 53-yard field goal off the foot of Wil Lutz.
Denver survived a late push from Seattle that erased a 14-3 advantage and forced the extra period. It was fitting that the defense and special teams put the game on ice, given their strength all game long, and while the offense was as effective as ever in the first half, it cooled off after the Broncos returned from the locker room. J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey capped off the team’s two longest touchdown drives of the season in the first half but were mostly held in check over the final half hour and overtime.
While the Broncos have been far from perfect over the season’s first month and a half, they are two games clear of .500 and squarely in the AFC West race. Seattle, on the other hand, is among the more disappointing teams in the league and has work to do in the competitive NFC West, where the San Francisco 49ers remain unbeaten and the Los Angeles Rams also stand in the mix.
CBS Sports was with you throughout the Broncos’ victory. Below are our takeaways, highlights and in-game analysis.
The pick and the kick
Seattle had all the momentum going into overtime. They scored 11 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and started the extra session with the ball. But Denver’s defense quickly forced Seattle into a third-and-7, and on the play, Darnold threw an ill-advised pass that was picked off by Ja’Quan McMillian.
Denver’s offense didn’t do much after that, but they gained enough to set up Lutz’s game-winning kick.
Denver’s defense stands tall
The Broncos’ defense won the game despite being without defensive backs Patrick Surtain II and Talanoa Hufanga due to injury.
Denver’s defense overwhelmed Seattle’s offense in the first half. They held the Seahawks to just 91 yards in the first half and did not allow Seattle’s offense to reach the red zone during the game’s first 30 minutes.
The Broncos’ success was predicated on minimizing the running game, pressuring Darnold, and forcing him to beat them with his arm. Darnold had his moments, but in the end, the Broncos’ defense made plays when it mattered most.
Alex Singleton led the Orange Crush defense with 13 tackles. Seven other Broncos contributed to the unit’s five sacks of Darnold.
Seahawks strike back
Seattle stormed back in the fourth quarter. The defense shut down Denver’s offense in the third and fourth quarters, and the offense mounted two impressive drives to force overtime.
Darnold made two big mistakes, but he also showed resilience. After throwing for just 52 yards on 7 of 15 passing in the first half, Darnold finished the game with 278 yards on 27 of 51 passing. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who caught two passes for 11 yards in the first half, finished with 134 yards on 12 catches.
Rashid Shaheed chipped in with 66 receiving yards that included a 42-yard catch, and his impressive two-point catch that made it a 14-11 game in the fourth quarter.
‘Historic’ win for Broncos
This was Denver’s first win with fewer than 175 yards since 1983, John Elway’s rookie season.
That, however, is probably history Sean Payton would rather not make. While a win is a win, the Broncos’ offense continues to struggle. Specifically, it was another rough outing for Bo Nix, who threw for just 107 yards and averaged a mere 6.3 yards per completion.
Nix didn’t throw it deep, was stuffed for no gain on a designed running play in overtime, and nearly cost the Broncos the game at the end of regulation when his third-down pass was almost picked by Uchenna Nwosu.
Denver won, and they are 4-2. But they’ve got a serious issue at the quarterback position.
