Broncos batter Sam Darnold, outlast Seahawks in defensive slugfest: TNF winners, losers

Nate Davis, USA TODAYFri, October 16, 2026 at 4:04 AM UTC

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Defense was the name of the game Thursday night as the Broncos outlast the Seahawks in Denver. The winners and losers of TNF.

It wasn’t pretty – at least not the football aspect – but the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks kicked off Week 6 of the 2026 NFL season with a hard-fought, tightly contested battle Thursday night, the Broncos eventually knocking off the defending Super Bowl champions 17-14 in overtime and dropping Seattle to .500 (3-3). Denver (4-2) is now a game back of the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.

Both teams, among the league’s final four in last season’s playoffs, will surely go into their mini bye weeks knowing there’s a lot to work on if they hope to achieve similar success in 2026 – and injuries and inconsistency on each side suggests there’s ample room for growth for both squads. But the DNA of winning football teams was also apparent Thursday.

All told? Sounds like plenty of winners and losers to ponder beyond what the scoreboard revealed:

WINNERSDefense

Two of the league’s most dominant units were on full display Thursday, combining to make this a muddy game – and on a resplendent night in the Mile High City. Denver, which hadn’t gotten off to an especially good start on the defensive side of the ball in 2026 – the Broncos allowed at least 24 points in three of their first five games – made the big plays Thursday, racking up five sacks and three takeaways, including the pivotal interception in overtime that set up the game-winning field goal. Conversely, the Seahawks allowed just 168 yards in a losing effort.

Nostalgia

The late 20th century uniforms worn by each squad Thursday were beauties – recalling a time when these teams were AFC West rivals, had never lofted a Lombardi Trophy, and no one complained that John Elway and his 23 interceptions (seriously) were killing their fantasy team. More good news: If you also love football fashion, get ready for quite a few more cool-looking fits this season.

Overtime

The NFL loves drama. And this was the league’s third consecutive prime-time game that went into OT – starting with Sunday night’s Ravens-Falcons thriller, followed by a Bills-Rams classic on Monday night. More football, more eyeballs – especially since the NLCS had ended in time for the baseball crowd to watch Thursday night’s finish – more ratings, more world domination for America’s favorite pro sports league.

Seahawks' situational awareness

After a weekend when some teams forgot all about clock management, Seattle smartly drilled a touchback after tying the game with 3 seconds to go. The Broncos had little choice but to take a knee and go into the extra period.

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LOSERSBroncos' situational awareness

After Seattle QB Sam Darnold threw an interception with 85 seconds to play and the Broncos leading by three ... Denver proceeded to go 2 yards on three plays and dialed up an incomplete pass on third down that let Seattle keep a timeout in its quiver. The Seahawks tied the game eight plays later, forcing OT.

Sam Darnold

When the Seahawks quarterback is under duress − as is the case for most quarterbacks − the Seahawks offense is effectively dead in the water. Darnold got middling support from a run game that finished with 113 yards. But he was also sacked five times, tied for his most with Seattle, and repeatedly pressured – though he’s grown accustomed to being battered over the course of his peripatetic nine-year career (remember when he got bagged nine times in a playoff loss while starting for the Minnesota Vikings?). But the two picks Darnold threw over the course of Seattle's final three possessions hurt − mostly the overtime pick that led to Denver's game-winning FG.

Sean Payton

In the second game since Denver’s legendary designer of offense wrested play-calling duties from first-year OC Davis Webb … the Broncos didn't crack 200 yards. Payton will take the W but also knows this attack needs to get on track if this team is going to make another deep playoff run.

Seattle road warriors

The Seahawks entered this season with a 15-2 record under third-year coach Mike Macdonald when they weren’t at Lumen Field, which provides one of the greatest home-field advantages in the NFL. But after Thursday’s loss, the ‘Hawks have lost two in a row on the road.

Super Bowl 60

Shame we didn’t get a game that was at least this closely contested in February rather than Seattle’s 29-13 walkover against the Patriots, who beat the Bo Nix-less Broncos in the 2025 AFC championship game.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Broncos batter Sam Darnold, outlast Seahawks in defensive slugfest: TNF winners, losers

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