The Denver Broncos pulled out a hard-fought 17-14 overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks
on Thursday Night Football in Week 6. Despite a quick offensive start in the first half, the Broncos cratered in the second half and overtime offensively. While it was the defense that carried the evening, there were some other studs and duds from the victory. We take a look at the best and worst players and groups from the win that took Denver to 4-2.Stud: Defense
The Denver Broncos' defense absolutely carried the victory on Thursday. Without any second-half help from the offense, the defense absorbed blow after blow from a Seattle offense that had big play after big play, turning Seattle over three times (one fumble, two interceptions). The second interception, a toe-tap
effort from Ja'Quan McMillian in overtime, gave Denver the ball at the Seahawk 43 to give Wil Lutz space for the game-winning kick. The ferocious Broncos defense is doing a much better job of taking the ball away in 2026 than they did last year, and it helped seal a win. They helped carry Denver last year; in the early going, it looks like they'll have to do it again in 2026.
An ode to the Orange Crush 💥
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 16, 2026
📺: NFL+ pic.twitter.com/JID7ExsPDC
Defense had it on 🔒 pic.twitter.com/CzF8e57Z36
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 16, 2026
Dud: Second half, overtime offense
After carrying a 14-3 lead into halftime, the Denver offense proceeded to implode in the second half and overtime. The offense punted seven straight times (they did not score on nine consecutive drives, but two of them were end-of-half situations). Each drive lasted less than 5 plays, and only one drive, the first of the fourth quarter, gained more than 10 yards. The second half is supposed to be where the Broncos shine. Instead it was a time to hold their breath while Seattle mounted its comeback. The offense had a golden opportunity to put the game away when Sam Darnold threw his first interception at the end of the fourth quarter, but the offense only took 15 seconds to go 3-and-out. Instead, it took some sweating in overtime.
Stud: First half scoring
When the Broncos talk about a fast start, this is what they might have envisioned. After punting on the first drive, Denver had its longest drive of the season, a 16-play, 74-yard drive which ate nearly nine minutes of clock, and ended in a J.K. Dobbins rushing touchdown. On the ensuing drive, Denver went 79 yards in nine plays for an RJ Harvey "Wildcat" touchdown. Having the score at 14-3 at halftime was a welcome sight, and their most scoring in the first half in the season to date. Let's keep that up!
Dud: Bo Nix
The elephant in the room is quarterback Bo Nix. Nix looked sharp in the first half, just missing on a deep ball to Marvin Mims, and methodically moving the ball down the field with short timing passes and runs. However, in the second half, the offense completely fell apart, only going more than four plays once, punting seven straight times. The offense could not get anything going, and Nix looked like a completely different quarterback in the second half than he did in the first. The only silver lining was, Nix did not turn the ball over in the game. He finished 17-of-27 passing for 107 yards with no touchdowns while taking two sacks. His QBR was a dismal 29.0. Nix has to figure things out in the 10 days between now and their next game against Arizona.
Stud: Being 4-2 through first 6 games
In the NFL, an ugly win is still a win. The Broncos have fought, clawed, and made their way through a very difficult first third of the season, playing five soon-to-be playoff contenders and the Los Angeles Chargers. The fact that the Broncos have not played well is not lost on coach Sean Payton, who acknowledged that the Broncos could be 2-4 just as easily as 4-2. The Broncos now have 10 days to have some serious discussions about the in-house issues before facing the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Oct. 25.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Studs and duds from Broncos’ overtime win vs. Seahawks on ‘TNF’
