Is there a Super Bowl hangover brewing in Seattle?
That question is getting harder to dodge after Thursday night’s 17-14 overtime loss to the Broncos in Denver, which dropped the Seahawks to 3-3. All three defeats have come over the last four weeks, a sharp reversal for a team that rattled off 12 straight wins between the 2025 regular season, the playoffs and the start of 2026.
The defense has mostly held up its end. Mike MacDonald’s group entered Week 6 allowing an NFL-low 251.2 yards per game, and it kept Denver to 17 points.
The problem is on the other side of the ball, where Seattle’s offense has started to stall. There are a few clear reasons why.
First, the Seahawks are still feeling the loss of Klint Kubiak.
Moving on from one of the league’s most respected play callers was never going to be seamless, and the early returns suggest the transition to Brian Fleury’s system has come with real growing pains. Seattle has had its moments - it has scored at least 30 points in three of six games, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba once again flashed against Denver with 12 catches for 134 yards, including a fourth-quarter surge that fueled the comeback attempt.
Still, the offense hasn’t looked as smooth or as dangerous as it did a year ago. The Broncos and Patriots have combined to allow just 27 points to the Seahawks through six weeks, and that speaks to how uneven the unit has been against quality defenses.
The run game has also taken a hit, and the backfield has been banged up.
Seattle managed just 44 yards on 18 carries against the Commanders in Week 3, then posted 89 yards on 24 carries against the 49ers in Week 5. Thursday brought some progress with 113 rushing yards, but the group still needs more punch.
Kenneth Walker III’s departure was always going to force a reset, especially for a back who broke tackles the way he did. And the injuries haven’t helped at all.
Zach Charbonnet has not yet returned from the torn ACL he suffered last season, even after scoring 12 touchdowns in 2025. Rookie Jadarian Price went on IR in early October with a chest injury.
That leaves Seattle without its two most dynamic backfield options, and the offense has felt the gap. Emanuel Wilson has been steady, and George Holani has delivered a few useful plays, but the Seahawks need more explosiveness there.
Sam Darnold’s turnovers are another major factor.
The interceptions are piling up again, and they have come at costly moments. Darnold entered Week 6 with five picks, a total that trailed only Justin Herbert, Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford. Then he threw two more against Denver, both in critical spots.
Those mistakes have shaped all three losses. Washington scored on a pick-six in Week 3.
San Francisco got two interceptions out of him in Week 5. Against Denver, Darnold’s late throw while Seattle trailed 14-11 and had a chance to go ahead was picked off, and he added another interception in overtime that set up the Broncos’ winning kick.
His style is always going to carry some risk, but right now those turnovers are directly dragging down the Seahawks. He’s now tied for the NFL lead in interceptions.
Protection has been another issue that keeps snowballing.
Seattle gave up just three sacks over the first three weeks, then surrendered 13 over the next stretch. Thursday night was especially rough. Denver got to Darnold five times, totaling 38 lost yards, and repeatedly knocked the Seahawks out of scoring range.
The pressure has been relentless enough to warp the offense. Per ESPN Research, Darnold was pressured on nine of his 17 dropbacks in the first half, a 53% rate that marked his highest in a game since joining the Seahawks. Under duress, he was 1 of 7 for 5 yards with two sacks.
And finally, Seattle simply needs more behind Smith-Njigba.
No one is taking away from what he’s doing. Smith-Njigba has been the engine of this offense, and through six games he already has five 100-yard performances. He’s drawing plenty of attention and still producing, which says plenty about his level right now.
But the rest of the receiver room hasn’t provided enough help. Coming into Week 6, Smith-Njigba had 25 more catches than anyone else on the roster, with tight end AJ Barner second at only 12 receptions. That kind of gap makes the offense easier to scheme against.
There were at least signs of life in Denver. Cooper Kupp caught five passes for 50 yards, and Rashid Shaheed added five catches for 66 yards. Those numbers need to become part of a regular pattern, because Seattle can’t keep leaning on one star to carry the whole passing game.
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Bo Nix Is Already Fueling A Brutal Broncos Debate
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The reaction around the performance came quickly, with media voices like Ryan Fitzpatrick and Colin Cowherd zeroing in on his tendency to settle for checkdowns instead of challenging defenses deeper. For a Broncos team trying to build around him, that kind of critique is more than background noise because it speaks directly to the style they think can work long term. The bigger question now is whether this was just a rough afternoon or a sign of a debate that is only going to get louder. [Read more 🡒]