Broncos' offense goes nowhere after halftime but wins in OT after Seahawks' Sam Darnold throws INT

DENVER — The 2025 Denver Broncos weren't always pretty, but they kept winning game after game until they finished with 14 W's in the regular season. The 2026 Broncos are taking that blueprint and running with it. The Broncos haven't been aesthetically pleasing through six games. They also have what is likely the best set of three quality wins of anyone in the NFL. They have beaten the Los Angeles Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars and on Thursday night they added the Seattle Seahawks to their list. Despite the Broncos' offense bogging down in the second half, which has been the case many times this season, the defense was excellent. It forced two interceptions against Sam Darnold, including one in overtime. Despite the repeated failures of the offense, which gained 30 yards in the third and fourth quarters, Denver found a way to win. Ja'Quan McMillian was the hero in overtime, picking off Darnold at Seattle's 43-yard line. Wil Lutz hit a 53-yard field goal to win it 17-14. Ja'Quan McMillian read this PERFECTLY. SEAvsDEN on Prime VideoStream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/1igvuDtROG— NFL (@NFL) October 16, 2026 The Broncos are 4-2. Not everything has gone their way. The offense struggled so badly in the first four games that head coach Sean Payton took back play-calling duties from coordinator Davis Webb. And it hasn't been better with Payton calling plays. It's also tough to be too critical of a 4-2 team that has played one of the toughest schedules in the NFL, no matter how it has looked. The Broncos just keep winning ugly. Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey, left, is lifted by teammate Quinn Meinerz (77) to celebrate Harvey's touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks.AP Photo/David ZalubowskiBroncos build strong first-half lead The Broncos had to figure out their offensive issues and do so against one of the NFL's best defenses. After a quick three-and-out, the Broncos went on what might be their best drive of the season.Picking up a pair of third-down conversions and one on fourth down, the Broncos drove 74 yards on 16 plays, and J.K. Dobbins finished it with a 4-yard touchdown run. There weren't a lot of explosive plays but it is hard to sustain a drive that long against Seattle, and Denver pulled it off. It seemed like a good sign for the Broncos. Then they followed it up with another nice drive, helped by a pass interference call in the end zone, and RJ Harvey scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. For a Broncos team that had struggled to move the ball over the first five games of the season, especially in the first half, a 14-3 lead at halftime was surprising.The good news for the Seahawks was the Broncos didn't score in the third and fourth quarters. Broncos' offense goes quiet in second half, Seahawks rally The Broncos weren't exactly moving it at will despite the 14-3 halftime lead. They had just 130 yards on offense in the first half. Then they gained 16 yards in the third quarter. But Seattle couldn't take advantage for three-plus quarters. The Seahawks couldn't sustain drives. Their run game lacked explosion, which has been a theme all season. The passing game didn't do much either. But the Broncos' defense was a big part of that. Their pass rush in particular was a big reason Sam Darnold couldn't find anyone downfield. He was sacked five times Thursday night. But finally in the fourth quarter the Seahawks found the end zone. They got a fourth-down conversion to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and that led to a touchdown run by George Holani and a juggling 2-point conversion catch by Rashid Shaheed. The Broncos' offense had done almost nothing in the second half when it suddenly found itself needing to protect a 14-11 lead. Bo Nix got sacked, a run play gained little and then Nix took another sack for a quick three-and-out. Darnold hit Smith-Njigba for a 32-yard gain on a great contested catch over the middle, getting Seattle on the verge of field-goal range. But Darnold rushed a pass that was picked off by Kris Abrams-Draine, turning away the threat. That seemed like it would seal the win. But Nix and company did nothing after that, with another quick three-and-out. Seattle had one more shot with 57 seconds left after a long Shaheed punt return got the Seahawks to their own 46-yard line. A few passes got them comfortably into field-goal range, and with three seconds left Jason Myers tied it to send the game to overtime. In overtime, Darnold made another critical mistake, throwing a pick to Ja'Quan McMillan. That was all the Broncos needed to get Lutz the field goal and escape with a win.