Broncos beat Seahawks 17-14 in overtime despite doing almost nothing on offense

Denver finds another way

The Broncos beat the Seahawks 17-14 in overtime Thursday night at Empower Field at Mile High. Seattle opened the extra period with the ball, and cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian intercepted a Sam Darnold pass intended for Rashid Shaheed at the Denver 43. A few plays later, Wil Lutz drilled a 53-yard field goal to end it.

It was Darnold's second interception of the night. Denver needed the stop. Seattle had just erased a 14-3 deficit with an 11-0 run over the final 5:31 of the fourth quarter, capped by George Holani's 1-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion pass from Darnold to Shaheed, then Jason Myers' 34-yard field goal with 3 seconds left to force overtime at 14-14.

The Denver offense barely existed

Denver finished with 13 first downs and 168 total yards, less than half of what Seattle put up. Bo Nix went 17 of 27 for just 107 yards passing with no touchdowns. J.K. Dobbins led the rushing attack with 41 yards on 17 carries, including a 4-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. RJ Harvey added a 1-yard touchdown run of his own and led Denver's receivers with just 31 yards on 3 catches.

Denver's defense made up the difference. Linebacker Alex Singleton led all tacklers with 13, and the Broncos pressured Darnold throughout the game. McMillian's overtime interception was his only sack or takeaway of the night, but it was the one that mattered.

Seattle outgained Denver and still lost

The Seahawks piled up 353 total yards and 24 first downs to Denver's 168 and 13. Darnold threw for 278 yards on 27-of-51 passing, but the two interceptions were costly, and Seattle finished with three turnovers to Denver's zero. Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught 12 passes for 134 yards. Emanuel Wilson ran for 52 yards on 14 carries. Linebacker Ernest Jones IV had 9 tackles and a sack.

Seattle also committed seven penalties for 75 yards, compared to Denver's eight for 42. The Seahawks dropped to 3-3 and have now lost two games in a five-day stretch, matching their total loss count from last season, when they won the Super Bowl.

What's banged up

For Denver, running back Tyler Badie is questionable with a thumb injury, safety Talanoa Hufanga is out with an ankle issue, and quarterback Sam Ehlinger and Tyler Onyedim were both out as coach's decisions. For Seattle, tight end Elijah Arroyo is questionable with a shoulder injury, and Jalen Milroe, Brandon Pili and Avery Smith were all out as coach's decisions.

Nix was candid afterward about Denver's offensive struggles, saying the team is "definitely capable" and has "shown it." Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, meanwhile, pointed to how often his quarterback took hits, saying "the quarterback's getting hit way too much."

Facts per ESPN box score. Opinion is the taproom's.