Seattle and Denver both come into Week 6 at 3-2, both on four days of rest, and both looking up at an unbeaten team in their own division. Seattle lost a 32-29 shootout to San Francisco at home on Sunday, while Denver won 23-17 at SoFi Stadium the same day. Thursday's Seahawks vs Broncos game at Empower Field at Mile High is their first meeting since Seattle won the 2024 opener at Lumen Field by six points.
At a glance
- When: Thursday, October 15, 8:15 p.m. Eastern (00:15 UTC on Friday)
- Where: Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
- On TV: Prime Video
- Records: Seattle 3-2, Denver 3-2
- Last meeting: Seattle 26, Denver 20, September 8, 2024
- Week: NFL Week 6, Thursday night
Where do both teams stand after five weeks?
The records match, but the paths to 3-2 look nothing alike. Seattle has scored 134 points and allowed 105, a plus-29 margin that is better than its record suggests. Both of its losses came by a field goal or less: 33-31 at Washington in Week 3 and 32-29 against the 49ers last Sunday. The wins were a 13-10 opener against New England, a 31-7 result in Arizona and a 30-23 home win over the Chargers.
Denver has been outscored 111 to 97, so its point margin is minus-14 despite the winning record. Most of that comes from the opener, a 31-10 loss at Kansas City, and a 24-14 loss at San Francisco in Week 4. In between the Broncos beat Jacksonville 20-13 and the Rams 30-26 at home, and on Sunday they won 23-17 against the Chargers in Los Angeles. They are 2-0 at Mile High and 1-2 on the road.
The division tables add some pressure. San Francisco is 5-0 at the top of the NFC West, two games clear of Seattle. In the AFC West, Kansas City is 4-0, and Denver shares second place with Las Vegas at 3-2.
What happened the last time Seahawks vs Broncos was played?
The most recent meeting was the 2024 season opener on September 8 at Lumen Field, a 26-20 Seattle win. Two years before that, the teams also opened the 2022 season against each other in Seattle, on a Monday night, and the Seahawks won 17-16. In the 2018 opener Denver won 27-24 at home, so each of the last three meetings opened a season.
Their only postseason game in this period is older. On February 2, 2014, Seattle beat Denver 43-8 at MetLife Stadium in Super Bowl XLVIII. Across those four games Seattle has won three, and the one Denver win was decided by three points.
How do the numbers compare?
| After 5 games | Seattle | Denver |
|---|---|---|
| Points scored per game | 26.8 | 19.4 |
| Points allowed per game | 21.0 | 22.2 |
| Point margin | +29 | -14 |
| Home record | 2-1 | 2-0 |
| Road record | 1-1 | 1-2 |
| Leading passer | Sam Darnold, 755 yards | Bo Nix, 942 yards |
| Leading receiver | Jaxon Smith-Njigba, 583 yards | Jaylen Waddle, 204 yards |
| Sack leader | Leonard Williams, 3 | Zach Allen, 4 |
The gap in scoring is the clearest difference. Seattle has averaged 7.4 more points a game than Denver, and the two defenses are close, with Seattle allowing 1.2 fewer points per game.
The two schedules also cross twice. Both teams have played the 49ers and the Chargers. Seattle lost to San Francisco by three at home and beat Los Angeles 30-23, also at home. Denver lost by 10 in Santa Clara and beat the Chargers by six on the road.
Which players carry each offense?
Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been the center of Seattle's passing game. He has 37 catches for 583 yards and seven touchdowns, which works out to 15.8 yards a catch. Sam Darnold has completed 63 of 98 passes (64.3 percent) for 755 yards, with seven touchdown passes and five interceptions. On the ground, Emanuel Wilson leads the team with 251 yards on 73 carries and two scores.
Denver's numbers are spread more evenly. Bo Nix has thrown for 942 yards, completing 97 of 162 attempts (59.9 percent), with six touchdowns and three interceptions. J.K. Dobbins has 229 rushing yards on 64 carries, and Jaylen Waddle leads the receivers with 18 catches for 204 yards. Neither running game has been efficient so far: Wilson averages 3.4 yards a carry and Dobbins 3.6.
On defense, Zach Allen has four of Denver's sacks and linebacker Alex Singleton has 54 tackles. For Seattle, Leonard Williams has three sacks and Ernest Jones IV leads the team with 50 tackles.
What does the short week change?
Both teams played on Sunday, so neither gets a rest advantage. Seattle has the longer trip, from the Pacific Northwest to a stadium a mile above sea level, and it comes off a close loss in which it scored 29 points and still trailed at the end. Denver stays at home after a road win in Los Angeles and has not lost at Mile High this season.
Denver's two home wins were both close. Jacksonville lost 20-13 in Week 2, and the Rams lost 30-26 a week later, so the Broncos have won at home by seven and by four points. Seattle has played two road games and split them: a 31-7 win in Arizona, its biggest margin of the season at 24 points, and the two-point loss in Washington. The Seahawks have scored at least 29 points in four of their five games. The exception was the 13-10 opener against New England, the lowest-scoring game either team has played this year.
Kickoff is 6:15 p.m. in Denver. The game is the only one on Thursday's NFL schedule, and the Sunday slate of Week 6 follows three days later.
Buffstreams lists Thursday's game on its NFL page, where the kickoff appears on your own clock, and the game page for Seattle at Denver opens from there along with the rest of the Week 6 schedule.
