Broncos 17–14 Seahawks: Denver's defense rescued a stalled offense in overtime

The Denver Broncos beat the Seattle Seahawks 17–14 in overtime at Empower Field at Mile High on 15 October 2026. Ja'Quan McMillian intercepted Sam Darnold on Seattle's overtime possession, and Wil Lutz made a 53-yard field goal four plays later. The result was decided by a defensive play, but it was made possible by a game of two very different halves: Denver's offense built a 14–3 halftime lead, then Seattle's defense almost turned that early deficit into a comeback win.

Denver's first-half advantage came from sustained drives

The Broncos did not rely on a single explosive play to take control. Their two first-half touchdown possessions lasted 16 and nine plays, according to the club's account. J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey each scored a rushing touchdown. Against a Seattle defense that entered the week as the league's leader in yards allowed, those extended drives mattered: they gave Denver a cushion while keeping the Seahawks' offense waiting for opportunities.

Denver's defense contributed to that cushion. Nik Bonitto forced a Rashid Shaheed fumble after a catch as Seattle approached scoring territory, and Justin Strnad recovered it. The Broncos also got five sacks and 17 quarterback hits across the game. Those numbers describe more than an uncomfortable night for Darnold. They explain why Seattle could move the ball at times but repeatedly failed to convert possession into points.

Seattle's defense changed the second half

The simple reading of the final score would give Denver's defense all the credit. Seattle's own defensive performance complicates it. The Seahawks held the Broncos scoreless after halftime until the overtime winner. Denver managed only 30 net yards and two first downs in the second half, with each of its possessions ending in a punt. That is not the profile of a team that protected an 11-point lead comfortably.

Seattle's adjustment created room for a fourth-quarter rally. The Seahawks had scored only three points through the first three quarters, but a late touchdown, a successful two-point conversion and Jason Myers' 34-yard field goal erased the deficit. They forced overtime even though their offense had taken five sacks. Jaxon Smith-Njigba finished with 12 catches for 134 yards, a productive individual performance within a unit that struggled to finish drives.

Why the turnovers decided it

The comeback did not remove Seattle's biggest vulnerability. Darnold threw an interception late in regulation to Kris Abrams-Draine and another in overtime to McMillian. Along with Shaheed's earlier fumble, those were Denver's three takeaways. Seattle ran 82 offensive plays and gained 353 net yards, but that volume produced only 14 points. A missed opportunity before overtime can be argued from either side; the confirmed sequence is that Seattle had tied the game and then gave Denver a short route to the deciding kick.

McMillian's interception came on third-and-seven in the extra period. Lutz still had to make a long field goal, and his 53-yard attempt settled it. The Broncos' pass rush and turnovers therefore rescued a second-half offense that had stopped advancing the ball. For Seattle, the counterargument is substantial: its defense had already done enough to overturn the momentum, and the offense showed it could attack late. But the protection problems and giveaways were not isolated footnotes; they were the difference between forcing overtime and winning it.

Denver moves to 4–2 and Seattle to 3–3. Neither record settles what these teams will become, but this game gives each a clear immediate question. Denver must find a way to sustain its opening-half offense, while Seattle needs to turn yardage and late drives into points without exposing Darnold to so many hits. See the sourced Seahawks–Broncos match record for the result, kickoff and venue. For another current NFL question, our Jalen Hurts injury explainer separates the Eagles' confirmed news from the unanswered quarterback questions. Cover image: illustrative American-football stock photography from Unsplash. It does not depict this game or either team.