If not for an unfortunate injury, this would likely have been last February’s Super Bowl matchup.
Alas, this is what we have for Thursday Night Football to start Week 6. For Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos (3-2), they are coming off a win against the Los Angeles Chargers. For Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks (3-2), they are coming off a tough home loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
It’s a clash of old AFC West divisional rivals that are also rocking their throwbacks. For what it’s worth, the Broncos are unbeatable with their snot rocket-fueled sky blue and orange D beauties.
Denver is a +2.5-point home underdog in the FanDuel Sportsbook to the Seahawks. The total is at over/under 40.5 points, with a lean towards the over at -115.
Seattle: Seventeenth in total offense (328.0 yards per game), 17th in rushing offense (106.0 YPG), 16th in passing offense (222.0 YPG), eighth in scoring offense (26.8 points per game).
Denver: 30th in total offense (269.0 yards per game), 25th in rushing offense (86.2 YPG), 25th in passing offense (182.8 YPG), 26th in scoring offense (19.4 points per game).
Seattle: First in total defense (251.2 yards per game), 11th in rushing defense (100.4 YPG), first in passing defense (150.8 YPG), eighth in scoring defense (21.0 points per game).
Denver: Second in total defense (347.4 yards per game), 29th in rushing defense (145.2 YPG), ninth in passing defense (202.2 YPG), 13th in scoring defense (22.2 points per game).
Here are the MHR staff’s keys to Thursday night’s game.
Win the line of scrimmage on defense
For a defense that will go down with arguably the best cornerback in the NFL against arguably the best receiver in the NFL, the Broncos pass rush will need to continue to harass, hit, and pressure Darnold. To be effective on Thursday night, the Broncos front needs to go home and do the work. If you want to get big-play ability from Seattle, don’t give Darnold time and see him ghost. “Go home” means Denver stops running. It’s a helluva challenge for the Broncos, but winning the line of scrimmage on defense sets them up for victory. — Ian St. Clair
The Broncos offense didn’t do a good job of controlling the clock. Against a team like Seattle, this will be the key to the game. Keep the Seahawks defense on the field and limit the chances the offense will have to come up with a big play. — Tim Lynch
For the Broncos to win this week, the defense will need to continue creating turnovers. The Seahawks, with JSN against a very banged-up secondary, will likely generate a lot of offense. If the Broncos can pull it off, they have a great shot at beating the champs. — Sadaraine
For the love of all that is holy, be better on the offensive line. Watching the Chargers just get into the backfield for almost an entire game was really disheartening. The blame for all the offensive woes can be placed on Sean Payton, or Bo Nix, or a missing Courtland Sutton, or a juiceless JK Dobbins, but who will play behind an o-line that has so much in common with a spaghetti strainer? It was bad. It could be disastrous against the defending Super Bowl champions. — Adam Malnati
Get more points than Seattle
Using deep analytics, I came up with a foolproof way for the Broncos to improve to 4-2. They have a 3-0 record when outscoring their opponents and an 0-2 record when not. They also have nothing to lose when wearing their throwbacks. So, score more points than the Seahawks while wearing throwbacks, and the Broncos will emerge with the win. — Scotty Payne
The Broncos need to be better on third down
If teams can’t convert on third down, they usually lose the game. Last week was an exception for the Broncos, whose flurry of turnovers offset their disastrous 1-of-12 performance on third down. The Seahawks boast the third-best third-down defense in the NFL, allowing just a 29-percent conversion rate on the season. Bo Nix and the entire offense must do significantly better in these situations to have a chance to win in primetime. — Christopher Hart