The Denver Broncos are set to face the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football coming off a narrow victory over the Los Angeles Chargers last week. Denver managed to secure their third win in four games with a late drive, but their offense under Sean Payton has struggled to find consistency, averaging just 3.9 yards per play in that game after entering with 4.9 yards per play over the season so far.
Seattle enters the matchup at 3-2 after falling to the San Francisco 49ers, who exploited turnovers and moved the ball effectively against the Seahawks’ defense. Seattle’s running game remains a weak point, unable to gain traction even when rookie Jadarian Price was healthy earlier in the season. Since Price’s injury, the trio of Price, Emanuel Wilson, and George Holani has combined for just 447 rushing yards on 127 carries, averaging a modest 3.5 yards per attempt.
Tru Media data shows Seattle’s backs gain only 0.69 yards before contact per carry, ranking fourth-worst in the NFL. Their yards after contact average 2.83 per attempt, placing them mid-pack at 14th. The Broncos’ defense, by contrast, allows only 0.59 yards before contact per carry—third-fewest in the league—but concedes the most yards after contact at 3.92, partly due to a 30.1% avoided tackle rate by opponents. Much of this production came from Kenneth Walker III in week one, but the Broncos remain in the bottom third of the league for yards after contact and broken tackle rate from weeks two through five.
Wilson is expected to lead the Seahawks’ rushing attempts again due to Price and Zach Charbonnet being sidelined. Denver’s defense will aim to stop him early to limit yards after contact, given Seattle’s backs rarely break free on their own.
In the passing game, Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold has struggled to replicate his previous season’s performances, particularly over the last two weeks. Against the Chargers and 49ers, Darnold completed 31 of 51 passes for 363 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. He has thrown five interceptions in three full games this season, down from leading the league in turnovers last year. His yards per attempt have dropped to 7.7 from 8.5, and his completion rate has fallen by over three percentage points.
Denver’s secondary will face a challenge without starting cornerbacks Patrick Surtain II and Talanoa Hufanga, while Riley Moss is listed as questionable. Jahdae Barron, Kris Abrams-Draine, and Devon Key are expected to take on larger roles against Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who leads the NFL in receiving yards and touchdowns. Seattle’s passing attack heavily relies on Smith-Njigba, with few other receivers seeing frequent targets.
Despite their win last week, the Broncos’ offense has not improved significantly since Sean Payton’s return as play-caller. Quarterback Bo Nix threw for just 123 yards on 27 attempts against the Chargers, while running back J.K. Dobbins managed 68 yards on 18 carries. Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle caught only two of five passes for 19 yards. The Broncos have struggled all season, with only brief strong halves in weeks two and three contributing to their current winning record.
Nix has notably limited his deep passing attempts, dropping his average air yards per attempt to 5.2 this season from 7.3 in previous years. He has thrown deep on only 7.4% of passes, down from around 12-13% earlier in his career. His scrambling has also declined sharply, with only four scrambles in five games compared to higher rates in his rookie and sophomore seasons. This conservative approach, combined with frequent checkdowns, has constrained Denver’s passing attack.
The Broncos’ running game has also faltered. Dobbins averages just 3.6 yards per carry, while RJ Harvey has a similar rate at 3.7 yards per attempt. Harvey contributes more in the short passing game, but recent strategy under Payton has favoured more rushing attempts that have yielded little gain.
Seattle’s defense has mostly performed as expected through five games, but the Seahawks face a Denver team eager to extend their winning streak despite offensive difficulties. The matchup will test whether Denver’s defense can contain Seattle’s limited ground game and their potent receiver, or if the Seahawks can bounce back from their recent defeat.
According to CBS.
