This is the matchup the Denver Broncos were hoping for last February. The Broncos and Seattle Seahawks were the top seeds out of their respective conferences entering last year’s playoffs. The Seahawks took advantage of their situation but the Broncos fell short, losing to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
The Broncos loss was perhaps most attributable to the fact that their starting quarterback, Bo Nix, was injured late in Denver’s overtime win over the Buffalo Bills the prior week and missed the loss to New England. The Seahawks went on to soundly beat the Patriots in Super Bowl LX, 29-13.
So the Broncos missed their chance to battle Sam Darnold and company last season, but they get that opportunity tonight in a primetime Thursday night feature.
Nix is healthy. The Broncos are looking to get back into the playoffs this year and take their season a step or two farther. The Seahawks are defending champs, a position that most often depresses a team’s record the following year. Over the past two seasons, Seattle Quarterback Darnold has led his teams to 14-win campaigns, only the second quarterback in history to do that and he accomplished the feat with two different teams.
Darnold led the Minnesota Vikings to 14 regular season wins in 2024 and the Seahawks in 2025. Tom Brady led the New England Patriots to back-to-back 14-win campaigns in 2003 and 2004.
This year, the Seahawks have already lost two games and Darnold missed most of the season opener and second week action with an injury. He lost his return to action game against the Washington Commanders and after leading a victory over the winless Los Angeles Chargers was behind center last week for a crucial game. In Week Five Seattle hosted the San Francisco 49ers while entering the game one back of the 49ers in the NFC West standings. Comparable teams, as the 49ers and Seahawks are considered by most estimations, offer a huge advantage in a division game to a team that comes into the fray behind in the standings.