The Seattle Seahawks are preparing to face a stiff Denver Broncos defense on Thursday Night Football in Week 6. It represents a quick turnaround after the difficult Week 5 divisional loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Despite the short week, the Seahawks must quickly sort through recent protection issues.
Seahawks QB Sam Darnold was sacked on five occasions versus the 49ers. That represented the most times Darnold has been sacked throughout his tenure with the Seahawks. Now, they have to course-correct against a strong Broncos defense.
Sacks are typically a volatile stat that undergo drastic year-to-year changes. That hasn't been the case for the Broncos. Vance Joseph's defense led the league in sacks in both 2024 (63) and 2025 (68). They currently
have 13 sacks in five contests. That makes them a top-10 unit in that department for a third consecutive campaign.
Continuity is behind the Broncos' consistent success. Coach Joseph is in his fourth season as the defensive coordinator. Talented defensive lineman like Zach Allen and Nik Bonitto are still producing big-time results as pass rushers.
The Seahawks were very good at protecting Darnold last season. Hopefully the Week 5 result versus the 49ers was an outlier. That theory will be tested against a tough Broncos defense on TNF.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks can't let protection issues carry over into Broncos game
