Seahawks vs. Broncos 'Thursday Night Football' betting odds, picks and predictions: Best bets, player props
The temperature should rise on a chilly Thursday night when the Denver Broncos welcome the Seattle Seahawks to Empower Field at Mile High for their prime-time showdown.
This matchup features franchises looking to find some consistency heading into the middle part of the season. Seattle (3-2) comes to town fresh off a disappointing 32-29 home defeat at the hands of the undefeated San Francisco 49ers. Quarterback Sam Darnold had a rough night, connecting on just 18-of-29 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. He was also picked off twice.
On the other side, Denver (3-2) recorded a 23-17 road triumph against the winless Los Angeles Chargers in Week 5. Head coach Sean Payton saw his team, led by quarterback Bo Nix and running back J.K. Dobbins, rebound nicely following its Week 4 setback against San Francisco.
Let's take a deep dive into this game and see where we've uncovered betting value.
Seattle Seahawks (-2.5, 40.5) at Denver Broncos
On paper, the one thing that stands out is the contrast in defenses.
Seattle is an absolute juggernaut, ranking No. 1 in total defense at a paltry 1,256 yards. The Seahawks sit atop the league in passing yards allowed (754) and 11th overall in rushing yards conceded (502) this season.
In contrast, Denver hasn't been close to those numbers thus far. The Broncos are 23rd in total defense (1,737 yards), 11th in passing yards (1,011) and a dismal 30th in rushing yards allowed overall (726).
Making matters worse for Denver: Standout cornerback Patrick Surtain will miss Thursday's game with an ankle injury, which means it could be open season on the Denver secondary for Darnold, star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Co.
Offensively, Seattle has been scoring points at will of late. After a season-opening 13-10 win against the New England Patriots, the Seahawks have scored at least 29 points in their last four games.
As for Denver, Nix and his offense will be up against it. Despite the record, Nix has been mediocre at best this season. He has failed to reach 135 passing yards in two of five games, leading to a subpar 80.8 passer rating that falls short (87.8) of his 2025 number in the metric.
If there's one thing working for Denver, though, it's the consistency in delivering big-time performances at home. The Broncos are 10-2 at home during the regular season over their last two campaigns, including wins against Super Bowl contenders — Jacksonville Jaguars and the Los Angeles Rams — this year.
Putting all of that information together, I'm getting creative with a Same Game Parlay to find a little bit of value. I think this affair stays close and will likely come down to a field goal or last-minute scoring drive to decide it, so I'm landing on Denver to cover the key alternate number and the total to clear 36.5 points.
That gets us plus money on the play, which I'm happy to take in what should be a nip-and-tuck game in Denver.
Bet: Same Game Parlay: Denver +3.5 and over 36.5 (+147, Caesars)
Player props
RB Emanuel Wilson: 2+ receptions (-118) | 3+ receptions (+240) | 4+ receptions (+580) and over 80.5 rushing + receiving yards (-114) at FanDuel
Everyone is talking about Wilson having a big night on the ground against the Denver defense. And that might be the case.
However, I think folks are sleeping on the fourth-year man out of Fort Valley State in the receiving game. Darnold is going to feel the heat from the Broncos' defense, which means his time in the pocket will be limited. He was sacked five times in the loss to San Francisco, so I expect offensive coordinator Brian Fleury to utilize Wilson in the passing game.
We're playing one of our fun ladder plays with Wilson. He has had at least two catches in that last two games, highlighted by 22 total touches and playing 60% of Seattle's snaps against San Francisco.
I'm also backing Wilson to clear the number of combined rushing/receiving yards. Denver has conceded 145 rushing yards per game, (fourth most), so he will be active in all facets of the Seahawks offense.
TE AJ Barner over 2.5 receptions (-138, FanDuel)
Barner has had a relatively quiet start, amassing 12 receptions on 20 targets for 122 yards. He's recorded one touchdown, which came via a goal-line score on a play dubbed "Barnyard" in Seattle.
But while the numbers haven't been overly impressive, I think this matchup against Denver sets up a prime spot for more activity. The Broncos are going to bring copious amounts of pressure, with the hope they can unsettle Darnold. Denver's defense wreaked havoc last weekend in Los Angeles, sacking QB Justin Herbert five times in the victory.
With that in mind, Darnold must get his safety valve(s) involved and I think that puts Barner in a perfect spot to be the benefactor of more targets. He's cleared this number twice in his last three games and will face a defense that has allowed 7.8 targets per game to the tight end position.
Anytime TD scorers
RB Emanuel Wilson (+110, FanDuel)
If we're riding with Wilson on our ladder play and his rushing/receiving prop, you can bet we like him to find the end zone.
Wilson has run for a score in the last two outings, plus he added another touchdown through the air in the Week 4 victory against the Chargers. Coming off a Week 5 effort where he had 22 total touches, I expect that number to climb here and give him several chances to score when Seattle gets deep in Denver territory.
TE Evan Engram (+575, BetMGM)
Engram has put together an eerily similar stats line to the one Barner has produced, hauling in 10 receptions on 18 targets for 121 yards and one touchdown. That lone score came in their season-opening 31-10 loss at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs.
He had been quiet since that defeat before putting together a solid effort (four catches on four targets for 58 yards) last Sunday. Payton took over the play-calling last week, putting Engram one target behind Jaylen Waddle for team leader.
Now, Denver faces a Seattle defense tied for seveth in the league for sacks (14), meaning Nix — like Darnold – won't have much time in the pocket when facing various blitz packages. And when that happens in the red zone, Engram will be one of first options on Nix's radar.
