The Seattle Seahawks offense was a full-on disaster against the Denver Broncos, managing to lose to a Denver team that practically fell asleep after two touchdown drives. Seriously, the Broncos scraped together a measly 30 yards in the second half and *eight* more in overtime, and somehow, our Hawks still couldn’t take advantage. We only managed one touchdown all game, coming super late in the fourth, and even after clawing our way back to force overtime, we just couldn’t seal the deal. Sam Darnold tossed two brutal interceptions, the offense couldn’t get anything going consistently, and we left crucial points on the field, like a shanked Jason Myers field goal and a Rashid Shaheed fumble. Yeah, the defense deserves props for shutting Denver down after those first two scores, but man, the offensive blunders were just too much to overcome.
The Offense Just Couldn’t Finish The Job, Period.
What in the world happened out there? This was a game we should have taken, plain and simple. Sam Darnold’s two interceptions were momentum killers, absolutely crushing any rhythm we tried to build. We needed to sustain drives, to put some pressure on Denver’s anemic offense, and we just didn’t. It wasn’t just the picks, either. That missed Jason Myers field goal felt like a gut punch, and Rashid Shaheed’s fumble? Crucial points, gone. We battled back to force overtime, which shows some fight, but when it mattered most, the offense went cold. It’s frustrating to watch a team rally like that only to fall short because we couldn’t capitalize on a gift of a defensive performance in the second half. At 3,3, with San Francisco already sitting pretty at 6,0, our path through the NFC West and the playoff race just got considerably more difficult, and a lot of that blame falls squarely on the offensive struggles from Sunday.
Defensive Lapses Proved Costly, Despite Later Dominance
Look, our defense isn’t a bad unit this season, not by a long shot. But they haven’t consistently hit the dominant level we saw last year. A big issue, one that’s been lingering, is our red-zone defense, with opponents too often walking away with touchdowns instead of field goals. While that’s something to keep an eye on, it wasn’t the main reason we lost this one. What *was* a problem were those two “blackout” drives where Denver racked up all 14 of their regulation points. Denver’s offense was struggling, relying on the run and short passes, especially screens to RJ Harvey, and yet we let them dictate those two possessions that ultimately decided the game.
The infuriating part is we had chances to stop them! On a huge fourth-and-three, Denver converted with a six-yard run by Tyler Badie. Our defensive alignment looked all kinds of wrong, with interior gaps wide open and Byron Murphy as the lone defensive tackle while Leonard Williams was playing edge. Were we not expecting them to go for it? It sure looked like we weren’t ready. Then, on their second touchdown drive, more missed opportunities. Byron Murphy’s facemask penalty gave Denver a fresh set of downs after an eight-yard completion on third-and-ten. Later, a defensive pass-interference penalty on Devon Witherspoon handed the Broncos prime scoring position at the one-yard line. And those screen plays to Harvey? Denver found success, and we looked overly aggressive and undisciplined trying to shut them down, attacking the ball carrier without properly accounting for the space created. Add in some uncharacteristic missed tackles and poor angles, and it’s clear the defense made some technical mistakes that allowed Denver to score when they shouldn’t have.
This loss stings, especially seeing San Francisco already flying high at 6-0. The Seahawks are now 3-3, and every single game moving forward feels like it has massive weight. We’ve got to clean up these offensive errors, protect the ball, and our defense needs to iron out those discipline issues if we want to make any noise in this NFC West. The season is still young enough to turn this around, but the clock is ticking, and we need to see some serious adjustments, starting now.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Field Gulls.
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