The Seahawks walked out of Denver with a 17-14 overtime loss, and the way it unfolded said plenty about where this team is through six games. Seattle came in with a first-place schedule after winning the NFC West last season, then got hit with the San Francisco 49ers and Broncos back-to-back on a short week.
A pair of losses in that spot was always possible. Still, that doesn’t make it easier to swallow.
The bigger issue is that Seattle keeps looking like a team that isn’t close to the form it showed a year ago. The Broncos were sharper when the game mattered early, and they looked better prepared from the start.
They weren’t some unstoppable force. But they were the better team on this night, and Seattle didn’t have enough answers.
One of the clearest takeaways is that the Seahawks need help at wide receiver. Jaxon Smith-Njigba can carry a lot, and at times Seattle survived by making him the center of the passing game.
But that can’t be the plan if the offense wants to function at a high level over the long haul. The tight ends haven’t given the passing attack much, Cooper Kupp is only a possession receiver at this point, Rashid Shaheed isn’t an elite route-runner, and Tory Horton doesn’t look fully trusted.
Even with Patrick Surtain and Talanoa Hufanga out for Denver, Smith-Njigba was doubled most snaps because the Broncos didn’t fear anyone else consistently beating them. That assessment held up.
A real WR2 would change a lot.
The backfield brought its own weird twist. Seattle seemed to lose confidence in George Holani, at least for a while.
In the first half, the Seahawks used Emanuel Wilson and Velus Jones Jr. instead of leaning on a Holani rotation. Neither back really produced much, but Jones looked a little more explosive than Wilson.
Then Holani got more chances after halftime and made them count. He ripped off a 13-yard gain to set up the goal line, then punched in a touchdown on the next play with a sharp cut and a strong finish. After too many fumbles earlier this season, Holani showed why Seattle kept him on the roster.
Horton also had a rough night at a key moment. After Seattle trimmed the deficit to 14-11 and Sam Darnold hit Smith-Njigba for a 30-yard gain, Darnold tried to force a throw to Horton that turned into an easy interception.
Darnold probably shouldn’t have released the ball in that spot if Horton wasn’t clearly open that late in the game, but Horton didn’t help himself either. He rounded the route, gave the defensive back a clean lane to undercut it, and left Darnold looking awful on the throw.
The blame wasn’t Darnold’s alone. If anything, Horton bore just as much of it, maybe more.
And then there’s Darnold himself, which remains the biggest question of all. He won a Super Bowl last season and was brilliant in the NFC Championship Game, so nobody is erasing that.
But this season has not been good. He now has seven touchdown passes and seven interceptions, and he threw two late picks against Denver.
The first was still partly on him. The second was completely his fault.
Darnold is signed through 2027 and will remain QB1 for now, but the real question is whether Seattle should be thinking about a $50 million-a-year extension. Right now, that answer looks like no. If the turnovers keep coming, the Seahawks may not even need him back next season.
In Other News...
NFL Just Confirmed Seahawks Fans Had Every Right To Be Furious
Late in Seattles matchup with San Francisco, Jaxon Smith-Njigba took a hit from 49ers safety Malik Mustapha that never drew a flag on the field, even though it was later deemed a violation for hitting a defenseless player. The lack of a penalty at the time left Seahawks fans with plenty to gripe about, especially in a game where every late snap carried extra weight.
The NFLs review backed up that frustration, fining Mustapha $6,998 for the play and effectively confirming the missed call. No other players from the game were fined, but for Seattle supporters, the bigger point is hard to miss: the league looked at the same hit and came to the conclusion many in the building already had. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Backfield Picture Could Get More Interesting Than Fans Realize
Week 6 is bringing a little more uncertainty to the running back landscape than usual, and it is the kind of wrinkle Seahawks fans can keep an eye on even if the names involved are elsewhere. Quinshon Judkins, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, TreVeyon Henderson, Alvin Kamara and Rico Dowdle are all listed as questionable, with practice participation varying from player to player as teams sort through injuries and workload concerns heading into the weekend.
Jadarian Price adds another layer to the picture, even though he is still on injured reserve for now. His coach said a return could come as early as Week 8, which means the backfield conversation is only getting started in a league where availability can change the depth chart fast. For a Seattle team always watching the market and the ripple effects around it, these are the kinds of updates that can quietly shape what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Have A Pass Protection Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Through six games, the Seahawks offensive line has already become one of the clearest pressure points on the roster, and the latest reminder came in a rough afternoon against Denver. Pro Football Focus charted 26 pressures allowed on quarterback Sam Darnold, who was under duress 27 times overall, a number that underscored just how often the pocket collapsed before plays could fully develop.
It was not just one spot breaking down, either. Charles Cross, Abraham Lucas, Jalen Sundell, Grey Zabel, Christian Haynes and Beau Stephens all had their share of pressures allowed, while George Holani has also had trouble in pass protection. For a team trying to build any kind of offensive rhythm, the issue is no longer isolated enough to shrug off, and it is starting to shape every conversation about how the offense can function going forward. [Read more 🡒]