fox21news
DENVER (AP) — In a dramatic overtime finish, Ja'Quan McMillian picked off Sam Darnold's pass, and Wil Lutz drilled a 53-yard field goal to give the Denver Broncos a 17-14 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.
The Broncos wrapped up a grueling six-week stretch to open the season with a 4-2 record, despite dealing with numerous injuries and an inconsistent offense. Meanwhile, the Seahawks (3-3) dropped their second game in five days. Seattle also matched its loss total from last season, when the team captured its second Super Bowl title.
McMillian's interception came on a pass intended for Rashid Shaheed at the Denver 43-yard line. It was the second pick of the night for Darnold, who finished 27-of-51 for 278 yards and no touchdowns. Those numbers were better than Bo Nix's, as the Broncos quarterback managed just 107 passing yards on 17-of-27 attempts after throwing for 123 yards in a win over the Chargers the previous week.
Jason Myers' 34-yard field goal tied the game at 14-14 with 3 seconds left in regulation, capping an 11-0 Seattle run over the final 5 1/2 minutes. The Seahawks began their game-tying drive at midfield after a 31-yard punt return by Shaheed, which followed Denver's sixth three-and-out of the game.
"No moral victories in the league," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. "It's a bottom-line business, production business. But I'm proud of our effort. I'm proud of the resolve of the team. I'm proud of our connectedness of our team. However, there's things that we need to get better at quickly, and we know those things; they're within our control, and that's what we do. We find solutions, and we get things figured out, we move forward, and we evolve."
Denver seemed poised for victory when Kris Abrams-Draine intercepted Darnold at the Denver 30 with 1:25 left in regulation, but the Broncos ran only 15 seconds off the clock before punting. After managing just three points on their first eight drives, the Seahawks put together an 11-play, 67-yard drive that ended with running back George Holani scoring from a yard out. Darnold's 2-point pass to Shaheed brought Seattle within 14-11 with 5:41 remaining.
Nix led the Broncos on two long first-half scoring drives, and Denver's banged-up defense sacked Darnold five times and hit him 17 times. "Defensively, we were magnificent," said Broncos coach Sean Payton, who also admitted, "I'm a little bit of a realist to know that 4-2 could easily be 2-4."
Denver's all-or-nothing offense produced two long drives along with two three-and-outs before running out the clock on the first half with a 14-3 lead. J.K. Dobbins' 4-yard touchdown run capped a 16-play, 74-yard drive that consumed nearly nine minutes and put Denver ahead 7-3. Running back R.J. Harvey then took a direct snap and scored from a yard out on Denver's next possession.
The Broncos sacked Darnold on back-to-back plays to stop Seattle's opening drive, but Denver went three-and-out on its own first drive for the fourth time this season. The Seahawks capitalized on good field position to take a 3-0 lead on Myers' 55-yard field goal. Myers missed from 47 yards in the third quarter.
The Broncos have recorded multiple sacks in 20 consecutive home games, the longest such streak in team history and the longest active streak in the NFL. The Seahawks' most promising first-half drive ended at the Denver 34 when Nik Bonitto punched the ball from Shaheed's grasp and inside linebacker Justin Strnad recovered.
True to form, the Seahawks franchise fell to 19-30-1 in overtime, while the Broncos improved to 33-23-2, which is second-best in the NFL. "It was a good win," Payton said, "but we've got a lot of work to do."
Key Analysis
Injuries played a significant role in the game. Seahawks tight end Elijah Arroyo left late in the first half with an apparent right shoulder injury sustained while diving for a fumbled ball. The Broncos were without star cornerback Patrick Surtain II and starting safety Talanoa Hufanga, both out with ankle injuries. Running back Tyler Badie injured a thumb in the second quarter.
Looking ahead, the Seahawks will host the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 25, while the Broncos will host the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 25.
_ See AP's full NFL coverage here.
Originally reported by fox21news.