The Denver Broncos have faced some of the NFL's best teams to start this season.
That trend continues on Thursday night against the reigning World Champion Seattle Seahawks. The Broncos will host the Seahawks at Mile High in a game that could be viewed as a potential Super Bowl preview.
In an alternate universe not too far away, Bo Nix never suffered a broken ankle in the divisional round of the playoffs, and he was on the field to host the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game at Mile High. We all know which team would have represented the AFC in the Super Bowl if Nix was on the field that day.
Now, whether a Nix-led Broncos team would have prevailed against the Seahawks in the Super Bowl is anyone's guess; but I would have wagered that Denver would have kept things close, even if it meant trading field goals.
When the fourth quarter rolled around, Nix and the "Heart-Attack Horsies" — who had become so resilient and battle-tested in late-game, big-moment situations — would have found a way to get it done against Seattle, instead of unraveling as Drake Maye and the Patriots did.
That would have been my guess, had Nix not gotten hurt. But that's not the football universe we live in. The Broncos' magical season came to an abrupt and bitterly disappointing end. But the Seahawks know the truth, too. It should have been Denver.
For these reasons and more, you can believe that both teams have had this game circled on the schedule since it dropped. Both teams are 3-2, with all their goals and aspirations still on the table in front of them.
If the Broncos are going to win against another tough non-conference opponent, three things will need to fall into place. Instead of calling them 'keys to victory,' here are three things the Broncos absolutely must get right to beat the Seahawks.
Big-Moment Bo Needs to Show
Amid Nix's early-season slump, many people have lost sight of what this kid has accomplished and what he's capable of. He's no stranger to starting slow, either, whether it's individual games or seasons.
Nix didn't storm out of the gate in Year 3 with Josh-Allen-circa-2020 numbers. So what? Allen's Year 3 rise was a thing to behold, but he didn't have to face the murderer's row of competition to start the season that Nix has.
According to Gridiron Stats and Info, the Broncos have faced the toughest schedule of opposing offenses to start this season, and the second-toughest schedule of opposing defenses. And yet, they're 3-2.
In all the years I've been watching football, let alone covering it, I've never seen the NFL hand a team such a schedule. On one hand, the Broncos earned their first-place schedule by winning the AFC West and earning the conference's No. 1 playoff seed; on the other, the NFL could have done a better job of spreading out some of these matchups.
The Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, and the Las Vegas Raiders all have to face the teams of the NFC West and AFC East — just like the Broncos — but the NFL didn't expose them to the buzzsaw consecutively out of the gates as it did Denver. What am I getting at here?
The intense, singular level of competition Nix has faced to start this season is obviously one of the reasons why he has struggled. I believe there's more between-the-ears stuff going on with Nix, but some fans are losing sight of just how insane his schedule has been.
But if you think back to last year, Nix started off pretty slowly. He didn't really find his groove until the fourth quarter of Week 7's historic comeback win over the New York Giants, when he became the first player in NFL history to score two touchdowns on the ground and through the air in the same period.
From there, Nix turned a corner, and he didn't face anywhere near the level of competition he is facing this season. If the best predictor of future outcomes is past outcomes, he will find his footing and then BOOM — he's off and running.
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 15, 2025
Clutch-time play has been one of the hallmarks of Nix's tenure in Denver. But another hallmark is how he elevates against tougher opponents or in big-time situations. A primetime showing against the Seahawks would qualify.
Nix hasn't been perfect, but he is 6-2 in primetime. If you count last year's Christmas Day game against the Chiefs, he's 7-2 in primetime games.
In Week 3, Nix faced the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football, and while it wasn't always pretty, he turned it on when he needed to and stormed back to beat a Super Bowl contender 30-26. The Broncos need that big-game version of Nix if they're going to beat the Seahawks.
The good news is, Nix views this Seahawks matchup as one of those moments, and he acknowledged that both teams will have their dander up.
"Absolutely. There'll be some extra juice on both sides, and I think this is why you play the game," Nix said of the Seahawks. "This is why you want to be an NFL quarterback."
Nix doesn't have to be perfect. But he does have to excel in critical situations, like third down, red zone, and end-of-game.
The Seahawks' defense is a tough draw, but Nix is due for a game that reminds everyone who he is and what he's capable of.
No Run Game, No Chance
Without a ground game, the Broncos will be dead in the water against Seattle. As it applies to Nix's slump, Sean Payton said it best after the Broncos' ugly 23-17 win over the Chargers last week: "The hardest thing to do in this league is play that position if you're not rushing the ball.”
The Broncos currently rank 25th in rushing, averaging just 86.2 yards per game. But with Payton calling the plays again in Week 5, the Broncos did take some steps forward as a rushing offense.
Payton stayed committed to a run-pass balance, allowing running back J.K. Dobbins to find a bit of a groove late in the game to help salt it away at SoFi Stadium. Dobbins had his best game of the season, rushing for 68 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries against a tough Chargers defensive front. The Broncos eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark as a team — a step in the right direction.
The Seahawks have a great defense, but the run game is one of the few chinks in their armor. Seattle ranks top-10 defensively in all the major categories, with the exception of run defense (11th) and red-zone efficiency (27th).
The Seahawks barely rank outside the top 10 in run defense, but that's where the Broncos have to focus their first- and second-down attack because if Nix is faced with third-and-longs against this defense, it's a recipe for disaster. Seattle leads the NFL in takeaways, with 11, and ranks No. 7 in sacks.
With how much Nix seems to be worried about turning the ball over against one elite defense after another, the best way to cool Seattle's jets is to get the run game rolling. I'm not talking 'three yards and a cloud of dust,' but if that's what it takes, I'd rather see Nix faced with 3rd-&-4 than 3rd-&-7 or 3rd-&-9.
The onus falls on Payton to call some well-designed rushing plays and to stick to it throughout the game. And let's not forget about the Broncos' starting five; they're a big reason the ground game has been so impotent this season, but it's time to break out of this run-blocking funk.
This can't be a game where RJ Harvey only gets three carries (like last week). Payton has a formidable one-two punch in Dobbins and Harvey, but he's got to use them that way to get the full effect.
If the Broncos don't rush for north of 100 yards in this game as a team, it's going to be a very long night for Nix. If they are able to establish the run and be productive, it should help insulate Nix and coax him out of his shell by setting him up in much more favorable third-down situations and keeping the Broncos on the field on extended drives that lead to points.
Don't Let JSN Beat You
There's a chance Riley Moss could play this game, as he's listed as questionable with the rib injury that kept him out of action last week. However, Patrick Surtain II has been ruled out, along with safety Talanoa Hufanga.
Jahdae Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine peformed admirably as part-timers in relief of Surtain and Moss against the San Francisco 49ers, but it was only for part of the game. Against the Los Angeles Chargers last week, Barron and Abrams-Draine again played well, so let's hope it prepared them for Thursday night's test against Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
JSN leads the NFL in receptions and is averaging 10 targets per game. He's already over 500 yards receiving and has scored seven touchdowns.
Down Surtain, it's a guarantee that Seattle is going to try to force-feed Smith-Njigba, even if Moss plays. Don't be shocked if JSN garners a season-high in targets. Whoever draws JSN in coverage, it won't be easy, but Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will have to account for his game-breaking ability.
Barron and Abrams-Draine, welcome to the big time. With the injuries Seattle has suffered at running back, JSN is essentially its entire offense, but he's enough to serve as a team's complete arsenal. And the connection he has with Darnold is strong.
The Broncos won't be able to stop JSN, but if they can limit him, it'll give them a chance to win this game. I wouldn't be afraid to shade double coverage his way, and try to force Darnold to look elsewhere.
Whether that's Cooper Kupp or someone else is beside the point; the longer Darnold holds onto the ball, the more likely it is that Nik Bonitto and/or Zach Allen will get to him. Darnold will make bad decisions under pressure, so Joseph has to figure out ways to generate that pressure without sending the house because without Surtain on the field, I'd be very leary of too many one-on-one matchups on JSN.
He'll make you pay for that, especially if there's no safety help over the top. The Broncos don't have it easy, contending with a weapon like JSN without two All-Pros in the secondary, but they have to find a way to limit him on Thursday night.
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