The Broncos beat the Seahawks 17-14 in overtime on Thursday night. Wil Lutz kicked a 53-yard field goal with 4:53 left in the extra period, after Ja'Quan McMillian intercepted Sam Darnold, per Pro Football Talk and the Associated Press. Denver had no offense of note by the end. Yahoo Sports noted that the Broncos' offense went three-and-out in overtime, so the defense had to produce the game-ending turnover.
The box score from Empower Field at Mile High shows how lopsided the night was. Seattle had 353 total yards to Denver's 168, 24 first downs to 13, and 35:38 of possession to 29:29. Darnold completed 27 of 51 passes for 278 yards with no touchdowns, two interceptions and a 52.6 rating. He was sacked five times for 38 yards. ESPN pointed to that five-sack night, along with two rushing touchdowns, as the reason Denver held on. In the box, J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey each ran for one score. Bo Nix finished 17 of 27 for 107 yards, and Seattle's defense held Denver to 2.9 yards per play.
Denver scored all 14 of its regulation points in the second quarter, and Seattle led only 3-0 before that. Field Gulls noted that the Seahawks then trailed 14-3 through the second half before finding some offense. Seattle's 11 fourth-quarter points tied the game at 14. Field Gulls and the box score both put one Darnold interception in field-goal range late in regulation, which kept the game from ending there. Yahoo's analysis said the defense played well enough to win and argued the offense is "actively cratering the season." Another Yahoo piece went further and said it may be time to bench Darnold. That is one outlet's opinion, and nothing we have shows Seattle considering it.
The numbers back up the concern. Darnold threw two interceptions against San Francisco on Sunday as well, in a 32-29 loss in which he was sacked five times. Seattle has now lost two straight. Our season line for Darnold, 63 of 98 for 755 yards, runs through four games and does not yet include Thursday's. Our game log shows interceptions in four of his five outings this year.
On Denver's side, McMillian's pick was a quiet-looking play from a player who had 11 tackles and one sack in five games before Thursday. The box score gives him five tackles, a sack, two passes defended and the interception. Lutz was 1-for-1 on field goals, and the 53-yarder was his only attempt. He came in 8-for-11 on the season, perfect from inside 40 yards. The win makes Denver 4-2 and second in the AFC West, with two straight wins after a 24-14 loss at San Francisco on Oct. 4. The last was 23-17 at the Chargers.
Seattle, 3-3 and second in the NFC West, hosts Kansas City on Oct. 25. Denver is at Arizona the same day.
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