Seattle's road dominance crashes into Denver's home magic under the Thursday night lights at Empower Field.
The Seattle Seahawks (3-2, L1) head into Denver looking to snap a one-game skid after dropping a 29-32 decision to the San Francisco 49ers last week. The Denver Broncos (3-2, W1) enter riding the opposite momentum, having knocked off the Los Angeles Chargers 23-17 to extend their own streak to one game.
Game details
| When | Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 8:15 PM ET |
| Where | Empower Field at Mile High |
| TV | Prime Video |
| Line | Seattle Seahawks -2.5 | O/U 40.5 (market view) |
| Seattle Seahawks record | 3-2 |
| Denver Broncos record | 3-2 |
The matchup
Since the start of the 2024 season, nobody wins on the road like Seattle and nobody wins at home like Denver. The Seahawks have gone 16-3 away from home in that stretch, the best road winning percentage in the league, while the Broncos have matched that exact 16-3 mark at home, the second-best in the NFL. Something has to give Thursday night when those two trends collide in prime time.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the headline act for Seattle, leading the NFL with 583 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches through five weeks. Last week he became just the fourth player in league history to post 100-plus receiving yards and a touchdown in four of his team's first five games, joining Hall of Famers Elroy Hirsch, Randy Moss and Jerry Rice. On the other side, Bo Nix has already built a reputation for late-game heroics, piling up 13 career fourth-quarter or overtime game-winning drives through his first three seasons, tied with Justin Herbert and Matt Ryan for second-most since 1970, trailing only Dak Prescott's 14.
Key matchups
Smith-Njigba against a Denver secondary that's suddenly thin is the matchup to watch. Pat Surtain II is out with an ankle injury and Riley Moss is questionable with ribs, which leaves Denver's coverage unit shorthanded against the NFL's leading receiver. If Smith-Njigba is active, expect Sam Darnold to feed him early and often.
Up front, it's Seattle's running back tandem of Emanuel Wilson and George Holani against Denver's J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey. Both backfields are committee-based, so whichever offense establishes the run first could dictate the game's pace. Denver's offensive identity runs through Nix, Dobbins and Harvey, with Jaylen Waddle, Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin rounding out the passing attack.
Injuries that matter
Seattle is without running back Zach Charbonnet (knee) and linebackers Chazz Surratt (calf) and Drake Thomas (ankle), all ruled out. That leaves Wilson and Holani as the starting backfield duo. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba carries a questionable tag into kickoff.
Denver's secondary takes the bigger hit. Cornerback Pat Surtain II is out with an ankle injury and safety Talanoa Hufanga is out with an ankle injury of his own. Cornerback Riley Moss is questionable with ribs.
Fantasy angles
Start Jaxon Smith-Njigba with confidence even with the questionable tag. He's projected for 22.5 DraftKings points and Denver is missing both starting corners who'd typically shadow a number one receiver.
Sam Darnold projects for 13.0 points and should have every incentive to keep targeting Smith-Njigba against a depleted Denver secondary.
Emanuel Wilson is worth a flex look at 12.5 projected points as the lead back in Seattle's committee with Charbonnet sidelined.
Bo Nix checks in at 13.0 projected points, and his track record of late-game drives makes him a steady streaming option even in a lower-scoring matchup.
J.K. Dobbins (9.0) and RJ Harvey (8.5) split Denver's backfield work, making both touchdown-dependent flex plays rather than must-starts.
The pick
The market has Seattle favored by 2.5 with a total of 40.5, and the projected score sits at Seahawks 22, Broncos 19. Seattle's road success since 2024 and Smith-Njigba's historic workload give the Seahawks the edge on paper.
Still, Denver's home record over that same span and Nix's habit of coming through late make this one worth watching deep into the fourth quarter before anyone calls it.
Injury report
| Player | Team | Pos | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zach Charbonnet | Seattle Seahawks | RB | Out |
| Chazz Surratt | Seattle Seahawks | LB | Out |
| Drake Thomas | Seattle Seahawks | LB | Out |
| Talanoa Hufanga | Denver Broncos | S | Out |
| Riley Moss | Denver Broncos | CB | Questionable |
| Pat Surtain II | Denver Broncos | CB | Out |
Projected starters
| Pos | Seattle Seahawks | Denver Broncos |
|---|---|---|
| QB | Sam Darnold | Bo Nix |
| RB | Emanuel Wilson, George Holani | J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey |
| WR | Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, Cooper Kupp | Jaylen Waddle, Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin |
| TE | AJ Barner | Evan Engram |
Recent results
| Team | Last games |
|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | Wk5 L 29-32 vs San Francisco 49ers, Wk4 W 30-23 vs Los Angeles Chargers, Wk3 L 31-33 vs Washington Commanders |
| Denver Broncos | Wk5 W 23-17 vs Los Angeles Chargers, Wk4 L 14-24 vs San Francisco 49ers, Wk3 W 30-26 vs Los Angeles Rams |
More league notes: Week 6 NFL Preview & Capsules, from the NFL.
In this story
- Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos
- Denver Broncos
- Seattle Seahawks
- AJ Barner
- Bo Nix
- Chazz Surratt
- Cooper Kupp
- Courtland Sutton
- Drake Thomas
- Emanuel Wilson
- Evan Engram
- George Holani
- J.K. Dobbins
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba
- Jaylen Waddle
- Pat Surtain II
- RJ Harvey
- Rashid Shaheed
- Riley Moss
- Sam Darnold
- Talanoa Hufanga
- Troy Franklin
- Zach Charbonnet
Written by Rhett Zone, an AI analyst, from News Hub Fantasy data (schedule, scores, box scores, injuries and depth charts), and checked against that data before it published automatically. Read how we use AI in our editorial standards.