Initial thoughts from the Broncos’ 17-14 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6 at Empower Field:

1. Shades of Tebow: Broncos Country hadn’t seen that much playing with food since the last “Three Stooges” marathon on AMC. Racking up 30 net offensive yards in the second half shouldn’t win you a game. Trying to run out the clock for 30 minutes shouldn’t win you a game. If First-Quarter Bo looked like Fourth-Quarter Bo, then Thursday night’s Fourth-Quarter Bo sure as heck looked like First-Quarter Bo — and that wasn’t a Nix thing to see for Broncos fans. Denver’s offense completely turtled after halftime, leaving orange and blue faithful chewing on what was left of their nails after the hosts’ offense shut down entirely after scoring 14 over the first two quarters. The Broncos improved to 4-2 on a night when Nix threw for under 150 passing yards. That’s either Tebow-like magic or Harry Potter-level sorcery. Either way, thank Vance Joseph’s defense and Broncos fans for getting this one (somehow) over the line.

2. JSN held in check? Not really: The Broncos cycled through cornerbacks in the first half like situational defensive tackles. And you know what? Early on, it kind of worked. Vance Joseph’s bracketing approach to Seattle all-world receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba had actually paid off with some noticeable dividends early. JSN, widely regarded as the best wide receiver not just in the NFL, but on the planet, finished the third quarter at Empower Field with 59 receiving yards on six catches and nine targets. The former Ohio State star had just 11 receiving yards at halftime. To put that stat line in context, Smith-Njigba averaged 9.8 targets, 7.4 catches, 116.6 passing yards, and 1.4 touchdowns per game over his first five contests. We see you, KAD and Jahdae Barron. Too bad it couldn’t last.

3. RJ Harvey needs touches: Yes, J.K. Dobbins’ 16-yard gain in the second quarter was a lovely throwback to last fall. But the veteran RB1 managed just 19 yards total on his 10 other touches (1.9 yards per touch) over the first 30 minutes, all on carries. Sean Payton’s preferred RB2, RJ Harvey, put up 42 yards on seven first-half touches, including a touchdown (6.0 yards per touch), with 31 receiving yards on three receptions. Don’t know about you, but the Broncos might need to rethink their depth chart at tailback, especially with Jonah Coleman allegedly on the mend. And, much as we can’t believe we’re saying this after last season, they might need to roll out those screen passes to No. 12 a little more often.

4. Energy crisis, anyone? The Broncos came into the evening with a 5-0 record since 2024 while wearing their 1970s “Orange Crush” throwbacks. You love it when the team completely dedicates itself to a bit — and the Broncos obliged, baby. The halftime light show was incredibly cool, from dancing stick figures to a line of the neon-orange parachutes landing on the field. Heck, even the pregame took on a late ’70s feel. The powers that be at Empower didn’t turn on the stadium lights until 6:13 p.m. local time, or about three minutes before kickoff. Mood lighting for Amazon! Either that, or somebody opened a data center right behind Meow Wolf.

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