Jaxon Smith-Njigba leads the NFL in receiving and the Seattle Seahawks need him big as they try to snap a one-game skid on the road against Denver.

Game details

WhenThursday, October 15, 2026 at 8:15 PM ET
WhereEmpower Field at Mile High
TVPrime Video
LineSeattle Seahawks -2.5 | O/U 40.5 (market view)
Seattle Seahawks record3-2
Denver Broncos record3-2

Overview

The Seattle Seahawks (3-2, L1) head to Empower Field at Mile High to face the Denver Broncos (3-2, W1) on Thursday, October 15, 2026, with kickoff at 8:15 PM ET on Prime Video. The forecast calls for clear skies, 48 degrees and just a 6 mph wind, so there's no weather excuse for either offense.

Seattle enters off a 29-32 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, sandwiched between a 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, a 31-33 loss to the Washington Commanders, a 31-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals and a 13-10 win over the New England Patriots. The Seahawks have outscored opponents 134-105 on the year. Denver counters with a 23-17 win at the Chargers last week, coming after a 14-24 loss to the 49ers, a 30-26 win over the Los Angeles Rams, a 20-13 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and a 10-31 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos have been outscored 97-111 this season.

Seattle holds the NFL's highest road winning percentage since the start of 2024 at .842 (16-3), while Denver owns the second-highest home winning percentage in that same span at .842 (16-3) — so something has to give on Thursday night. The market has Seattle as 2.5-point favorites with a total of 40.5, which lines up with the Seahawks' explosive passing attack carrying the edge even away from home.

Key players

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks: He leads the NFL with 583 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches, and last week became just the fourth player in league history with 100-plus receiving yards and a touchdown in four of his team's first five games, joining Elroy Hirsch, Randy Moss and Jerry Rice.

Sam Darnold, QB, Seattle Seahawks: Projected for 13.0 DraftKings points, he's the trigger for an offense that has hit 30-plus points three times already this season.

Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos: He authored 13 unanswered fourth-quarter points in last week's win at the Chargers and now has 13 career game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime, tied for second-most by a player in his first three seasons since 1970.

J.K. Dobbins, RB, Denver Broncos: Projected for 9.0 DraftKings points as part of Denver's backfield rotation with RJ Harvey.

Emanuel Wilson, RB, Seattle Seahawks: Projected for 12.5 DraftKings points, he steps into a featured role with Zach Charbonnet out with a knee injury.

Keys to the game

Get the ball to Jaxon Smith-Njigba early and often — he's been automatic for 100 yards and a score in four of five games and Seattle needs that production to continue even with his questionable tag.

Finish the fourth quarter — Bo Nix has 13 career game-winning drives in that situation, so Seattle can't let this one stay close late.

Lean on Emanuel Wilson in the run game to keep Denver's defense honest with Zach Charbonnet sidelined by a knee injury.

Fantasy angles

Start Jaxon Smith-Njigba with confidence at 22.5 projected points — he's the league's leading receiver and the focal point of this passing attack regardless of the questionable tag.

Start Sam Darnold as a solid streaming option at 13.0 projected points given Seattle's track record of scoring in bunches.

Start Emanuel Wilson at 12.5 projected points — with Zach Charbonnet out, he's in line for a featured role in the backfield.

Sit Drew Lock at 10.0 projected points — he's buried behind Darnold on the depth chart and carries a questionable tag of his own.

Jason Myers is a fine streaming kicker at 8.5 projected points if Seattle's offense keeps moving the ball into scoring range.

Prediction

The market sets this one at Seattle Seahawks 22, Denver Broncos 19, and that number tracks with what's in front of us. Seattle's road success and Smith-Njigba's historic pace give the Seahawks the edge, but Denver's home record and Nix's track record of late-game drives keep this inside a field goal.

Injury report

PlayerTeamPosStatus
Zach CharbonnetSeattle SeahawksRBOut
Chazz SurrattSeattle SeahawksLBOut
Drake ThomasSeattle SeahawksLBOut
Talanoa HufangaDenver BroncosSOut
Riley MossDenver BroncosCBQuestionable
Pat Surtain IIDenver BroncosCBOut

Depth chart

PosSeattle Seahawks
QBSam Darnold
RBEmanuel Wilson, George Holani
WRJaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, Cooper Kupp
TEAJ Barner

Recent results

TeamLast games
Seattle SeahawksWk5 L 29-32 vs San Francisco 49ers, Wk4 W 30-23 vs Los Angeles Chargers, Wk3 L 31-33 vs Washington Commanders

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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.