The Denver Broncos (3-2) face another stiff test on Thursday night with the Seattle Seahawks (3-2) coming to town. This will be the third NFC West opponent the Broncos have played this season and after the way they performed against the Los Angeles Chargers last week, they'll need to be much better.
Once an AFC West rival, the Broncos used to beat up on the Seahawks on a regular basis. But in more recent years, Seattle has won three of the last four regular-season meetings. One of the more exciting elements of this particular matchup, aside from the fact that it will take place in prime time, is that each team will be wearing its throwback uniforms. This will make that once-fiery rivalry feel much more familiar.
These teams have identical 3-2
records, but it's likely that fans picking games will see a big discrepancy in terms of talent. Can the Broncos handle the defending champs on a short week? Let's see what the experts think.
Broncos vs. Seahawks Week 6 expert picks
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Seahawks 23, Broncos 17
"The Seahawks lost a tough one to the 49ers last week and now face a short week on the road against Denver," wrote Prisco for CBS. "The Broncos' offense has struggled, even with Sean Payton taking over as the play-caller. Bo Nix has to pick it up, but this is a tough defense to try and fix things. Seattle takes a tough road game."
Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News: Seahawks 24, Broncos 17
"The Seahawks need to clean up their offense with a limited running game and Sam Darnold struggling to protect the ball," Iyer wrote for The Sporting News. "They get a short-week break on the road with the Broncos' cornerbacks hurting, setting up Jaxon Smith-Njigba to explode again. Their defense also will make it rough on an inefficient Bo Nix."
Jeremy Cluff, Arizona Republic: Seahawks 24, Broncos 21
"The loser of this game falls to 3-3, not where either team expected to be at this point of the season. Sam Darnold and the Seahawks will get a pivotal win against the Broncos thanks to some Jaxon Smith-Njigba magic."
Bill Bender, The Sporting News: Seahawks 23, Broncos 21
"Another good Thursday Night Football matchup," wrote Bender for The Sporting News. "The Broncos are 2-0 S/U at home and have allowed just 20 points per game in those matchups. Seattle is a more consistent offensive team, but the Seahawks have seven turnovers in their two losses. Who wins on a short week? Sam Darnold has taken nine sacks. The protection must hold on a short week."
All of these experts see it as close, but they all side with Seattle, which seems to be the consensus. The Broncos will need to use home-field advantage to see if they can catch Seattle in a short week.
However, the Seahawks will be focused after dropping a game at home to the 49ers on Sunday and will be looking to pull out all the stops to avoid losing a second straight. With Pat Surtain II and Talonoa Hufanga ruled out due to injury, the Broncos have their work cut out for them.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL picks: Who the experts predict to win in the Broncos-Seahawks game
