The Denver Broncos have seemingly perfected the art of winning ugly. We saw it at times last season, but it's become a regular theme in 2026.
A win is a win, though. And in the NFL, nobody should apologize for victory.
The Broncos defeated the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night 17-14 in an overtime thriller. One of the most impressive aspects of Denver's fourth win of the season was the way its defense overcame the injuries to several key players to terrorize Sam Darnold all night long and pick him off twice.
Bo Nix and the Broncos' offensive line did not miss a snap, playing 60 snaps against the Seahawks. Beyond the starting five, depth lineman Alex Palczewski saw the field for just one snap.
As for everybody else, that's why we're here. Let's examine the Broncos' snap counts for what gleanings they can offer.
Running Backs
- J.K. Dobbins: 31
- RJ Harvey: 24
- Tyler Badie: 4
- Adam Prentice: 5
Dobbins carried the ball 17 times for 41 yards and a touchdown, but Seattle made him fight and scrape for every inch, as evidencd by his 2.2 yards-per-carry metric. He did have one really nice 16-yard run that helped set up the Broncos' second touchdown.
RJ Harvey had six carries for 25 yards and a touchdown, while also catching three passes on four targets for a team-high 31 receiving yards. Dobbins also caught three balls on three targets, but for just five yards.
Badie only received one touch before injurying his thumb, but it was a crucial six-yard gain on 4th-&-3 that extended the Broncos' first touchdown drive. Prentice saw a handful of snaps, but no touches.
Wide Receivers
- Courtland Sutton: 46
- Jaylen Waddle: 39
- Troy Franklin: 31
- Lil’Jordan Humphrey: 17
- Marvin Mims Jr.: 16
The Broncos' receivers ran a lot of yards for very little production. Too many wasted routes as Nix's slump continues, but Sutton led the way in snap share, with Waddle right behind him.
Waddle led the team with seven targets, but he only caught four for 24 yards. He was open often, but Nix either didn't see him or was hesitant to push the ball. Probably both.
The Broncos may be 4-2, but you have to wonder how Nix's slump is affecting the attitude of Waddle and Sutton. These are high-profile receivers who are barely touching the ball, despite running a high volume of routes.
Sutton only had two catches on three targets for 19 yards, but he drew a pass-interference penalty that set the Broncos up on the one-yard line. Franklin was only targeted once, catching it for two yards, while Mims earned four targets, including one deep pass that Nix put on the money.
It looked like Mims was interfered with but no flag was thrown. Humphrey did not touch the ball.
Tight Ends
- Adam Trautman: 33
- Evan Engram: 31
- Nate Adkins: 22
For the first time in a few weeks, Engram was not the Broncos' top snap-getter at tight end. Trautman beat him out by two, but Engram was targeted twice by nice, catching them both for 13 yards.
Trautman and Adkins were mostly blockers in their snaps, and neither did a good job against that tough Seahawks front seven.
Defensive Line
- Zach Allen: 57
- Eyioma Uwazurike: 45
- Malcolm Roach: 42
- D.J. Jones: 24
- Sai’vion Jones: 22
The Broncos' D-line was relentless on Thursday night. Allen led in snap share, but Roach finished with the most quarterback pressures (six).
Uwazurike had a good game, too, pressuring Darnold four times, while D.J. Jones notched three pressures. Sai'vion Jones had two pressures and a hit on Darnold, while also getting his big mits up to bat down a pass.
Allen finished with a half-sack on four pressures.
Outside Linebackers
- Nik Bonitto: 48
- Que Robinson: 43
- Dondrea Tillman: 41
- Jonah Elliss: 38
Although he only finished with a half-sack — split with Allen — this was one of Bonitto's best pass-rushing games as a pro. His spin move was devastating, and he was a constant thorn in Darnold's side.
Hats off to Robinson, Elliss, and Tillman, too, as they all made an impact against Seattle. Robinson led the way with six pressures and a sack, but Elliss was able to finally notch his first QB takedown of the season, finishing with six pressures himself before suffering an ankle injury near the end of regulation.
Jonathon Cooper is headed back from the commissioner's exempt list, but this rush linebacker room is in the zone right now. The Broncos will be in a quandary when it comes to deciding who to sit on game day.
Inside Linebackers
- Alex Singleton: 85
- Justin Strnad: 76
Singleton turned in one of his best games as a Bronco. He was one of three Broncos defenders who played 100% of snaps, and he finished with 13 tackles and three pressures, while allowing only two completions for 11 yards in coverage.
Strnad played well, too, finishing with four tackles and a half-sack. He wasn't targeted in coverage.
Cornerbacks
- Jahdae Barron: 85
- Kris Abrams-Draine: 65
- Ja’Quan McMillian: 65
- Riley Moss: 20
Barron played 100% of snaps and while he gave up nine receptions for 121 yards in coverage, he was targeted 12 times and had to cover Jaxon Smith-Njigba on five of them. It was a tough assignment, but Barron played physical, sticky coverage, and on most of the completions he allowed, he was right there to either get a hand on the ball or make the immediate tackle, but he did give up a long of 42 yards. Again, though, his coverage was tight.
Abrams-Draine answered the bell, though he too was targeted in the double digits. On 14 targets, he allowed eight completions for 94 yards, but he made Darnold pay late in the fourth quarter, undercutting a route to pick him off. Abrams-Draine's tackling left much to be desired.
McMillian was magnificent. He gave up three completions on six targets for just 16 yards, but had five solo tackles and a sack. His interception in overtime helped Denver seal the win.
Moss started the game, but only played 20 snaps. He should be back for Week 7, though I doubt Patrick Surtain II joins him.
Safeties
- Brandon Jones: 85
- Taylor Rapp: 65
- Devon Key: 29
With Talanoa Hufanga out, the Broncos relied on Jones and he answered the bell, finishing with eight tackles. He was targeted once, a completion that went for just one yard.
Rapp was elevated from the practice squad into the starting lineup, just as I suspected with Hufanga out. Technically, Key got the start, but he quickly took a back seat to Rapp, who played well in coverage and against the run in his first game as a Bronco.
Rapp finished with six tackles and was only targeted once, allowing a completion for 11 yards. It was good to have his experience on the back end of the defense because it helped prevent and deter some big plays.
Key also played well as the third safety and big nickel, finishing with three tackles. He gave up completions on both of his targets (for just nine yards), but was good in coverage. The Broncos could get by with this safety trio for some time if they had to.
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