The Denver Broncos were the home underdog against the Seattle Seahawks, and Sean Payton and company seemed to take that personally.
Offensively, the Broncos put together their best first-half performance of the season against Seattle, scoring 14 points and showing signs of life in the run game, while their defense was outstanding and smothering. Denver walked away with the upset win to move to 4-2, though it wasn’t easy, as the Seahawks surged in the fourth quarter.Â
With that 17-14 overtime win over the Seahawks, the Broncos have now defeated the reigning Super Bowl champions in each of the past three seasons. But as elating as it is for Denver to get through this first six-game gauntlet at 4-2, this win tastes sour for so many fans because of how Nix and the offense played in the second half.
What did we really learn from the Broncos’ fourth win of the season? Here are four key takeaways.
Broncos Can Play Well In the First Half
The Broncos’ best first-half showing of the season came against one of the NFL’s best defenses. The Broncos put up 14 points on two touchdowns, with both scores capping extended drives that saw them move the chains and convert third downs.
The offensive line, the running game, and Bo Nix were the best they’ve been all season — in terms of first-half showings. Was it perfect from the offense?
No. There were still too many dead plays in the run game —16 runs for 52 yards — with J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey logging 15 carries for 46 yards combined. Both had rushing touchdowns, but their run-game consistency was still lacking. That said, it was a major step forward and a positive sign of life for this run game.
In the first half, the Broncos got Courtland Sutton and Jaylen Waddle involved, with the latter catching two and the former catching one. Sutton had a key third-down play and also drew a pass-interference penalty that set up the Broncos’ second touchdown on the one-yard line.
Payton has been working for faster starts and wants Nix to “let it rip.” Again, despite some issues, this was at least one step closer, and against a tough defense.
Unfortunately, it didn’t carry over to the second half, especially with the defensive adjustments the Seahawks made, so the offense was still unable to put together a full game. Â
Nix Shows Modest Progress (In the First Half)
It wasn’t all pretty from Nix, but it was better than what Denver’s got out of him in the previous two weeks. Outside of two throws, he didn’t push the ball deep and took the underneath throws, which is what the Seahawks aim for defensively, but he wasn’t always looking for the checkdown.
On top of that, Nix played tougher in the pocket. He didn’t constantly bail on clean pockets or panic at even the slightest pressure. He had multiple first-half throws where he stood tough and tall in the pocket, took some contact, and still delivered a catchable ball, especially on third down.Â
One-read throws and plenty of option plays made things easier for Nix, like Payton putting the training wheels back on. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing; with Nix’s confidence so clearly shaken, he needed these types of plays to build it back up, which hopefully leads to Payton opening up the playbook again later in the season.
The Broncos can’t give up on trying to massage Nix through this slump and help him regain his pre-2026 footing. At the same time, they can’t become overly reliant on the training-wheels type plays, because it’s likely to catch up with them.
The offense faltered a lot in the second half, and some of it was on Nix, though not all of it. Far from it.
Even amid the second-half offensive collapse, Nix showed modest signs of progress, compared to what we saw from him in the Broncos’ two-week road trip to California.
Broncos Overcome Injuries to Dominate on Defense
The Seahawks’ offense has its fair share of issues, with a run game that was almost as bad as the Broncos’ for the first five weeks. The Seahawks have also dealt with bad protection issues and questionable quarterback play that led to ball-security issues.
With Patrick Surtain II and Talanoa Hufanga out and Riley Moss limited, there were concerns about how the Broncos would handle the Seahawks’ explosive passing game.
Denver shut down the run for most of the game and largely stonewalled Seattle’s passing game, outside of a handful of plays. It was an elite showing, especially with three starters out and Moss mostly watching from the sideline.
Kris Abrams-Draine came up with a clutch interception at the end of the fourth quarter, while Jahdae Barron played sticky, physical coverage that helped limit Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the first half. Throw in Ja’Quan McMillian’s overtime interception, and I’m not sure anyone could have expected this beleaguered secondary to play any better than it did against the defending champs.
The Broncos sacked Sam Darnold five times and harrassed him all game long. He battled in the fourth quarter, but eventually, his bad decision-making under pressure came home to roost.
The Broncos have improved each week defensively and have shown they can generate takeaways, which was an issue last year. This is a great unit on the cusp of being elite.
The Broncos will get there if they can fix some of the explosives they’ve allowed, while improving their run game and tackling inconsistency.
Trade Marvin Mims Jr.Â
With the Broncos sitting where they are in the standings, it’s hard to justify trading a player away, let alone one as impactful as Mims has been. However, his lack of effort on offense is becoming a detriment, especially when the Broncos go max protect, and he doesn’t even look for the ball.
Mims isn’t getting as much run as a kick returner, and his play as a punt returner hasn’t been good. Troy Franklin can make up for Mims on offense, and the Broncos have other options to return punts, including Kolbe Katsis on the practice squad.
If there’s an opportunity to trade Mims, who’s playing on an expiring contract, the Broncos should do it.
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