Seattle Seahawks’ offense is soaring, Denver Broncos’ defense dominating at all three levels

As the 2025 NFL season turns the corner, two team units are redefining dominance - on opposite sides of the ball.

In Seattle, the Seahawks’ offense is slicing through defenses with ease, spreading the field and striking from every angle. In Denver, the Broncos’ defense is shutting everything down, smothering drives before they even start.

DAZN News’ Gavin Babbitt takes a closer look at what makes each side so special.

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Seattle Seahawks' high-flying offense 

The Seahawks are averaging more than 385 yards per game since Week 5. In that span, Seattle leads the NFL in yards per play (6.92).

This passing game is becoming one of the NFL’s most efficient. The Seahawks are fourth in passing yardage per game (255.1), with the league’s second-lowest pass rate (50.3%). 

Quarterback Sam Darnold has been deadly throwing the ball downfield. He is 20-for-28 targeting deep routes this year, and owns a passer rating of 153.3 on those attempts.

The 28-year-old, only eight games into his tenure in Seattle, already has an excellent feel for Klint Kubiak’s system.

Seattle’s pass protection deserves plenty of credit. Sam Darnold has been sacked only nine times all year.

Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s game has been unleashed playing on the outside rather than the slot this year. Statistically, he is the NFL’s best receiver at the midway point and a frontrunner for the OPOY award.

With the Seahawks' bye already behind him, Smith-Njigba leads the league in receiving by over 100 yards, averaging 16.3 yards per catch.

The 23-year-old is a masterful route-runner, but also wins at the point of the catch with a 60% contested-catch rate.

Smith-Njigba’s releases off the line of scrimmage are torturous to defend. He has 411 receiving yards on routes over 20 yards, leaving no breathing room for opposing secondaries. 

Seattle’s receiving corps is showing its depth with touchdown production from its young pass-catchers. A.J. Barner, Tory Horton, and Elijah Arroyo have accounted for 10 scores. 

Between the addition of Rashid Shaheed at the trade deadline and the output at tight end, the Seahawks can consistently bookend Smith-Njigba over the top and underneath.

Seattle’s running game has faced stacked boxes at the second-highest rate in the NFL this season. With the aerial attack excelling as it has, opposing teams may be forced to focus their efforts elsewhere. 

Kenneth Walker is averaging 4.5 yards per carry with three touchdowns. His eight runs over 15 yards rank sixth among running backs. Walker’s big-play ability is keeping defenses honest.

Zach Charbonnet is a great complement to Walker. Charbonnet is excellent at finishing red-zone opportunities. His five touchdowns inside the 5-yard line trail only Javonte Williams and Josh Jacobs this year. 

Denver Broncos' dominant defense

The Broncos have the most intimidating defense in the NFL. Denver is allowing only 4.5 yards per play and is dominant against the run.

Everything starts with the pass rush for this defense. The Broncos have a chance to break the single-season sack record after recording 40 in their first nine games. They led the league in sacks last year, too.

Edge rushers Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper consistently collapse the pocket from the outside in. Bonitto and Cooper have combined for 18 sacks, and are both in the top 10 individually in the category.

Zach Allen and John Franklin-Meyers supplement the exterior pressure with their own up the middle, and have 10 combined sacks of their own. These four are relentless in forcing uncomfortable throws. 

Until Dre Greenlaw rediscovers his groove, the Broncos’ top linebacker is Alex Singleton. He gives offenses mixed looks with his ability to play from all three alignments (right, middle, left).

Singleton is fifth among all defenders in tackles against the run (29), with only four misses on the season. 

Talanoa Hufanga is one of the NFL’s best two-way safeties. Regardless of a called run or pass, his range allows him to impact the play.

The 25-year-old is tied for first at safety in total tackles (48) and has allowed only six yards after the catch all season. He adds to all three levels of this unit based on need.

The defense is dominant against the pass. They are tied for the league’s lowest mark in passing yards allowed per play (5.0), but blitz at the league’s third-highest rate (34.2%).

Pat Surtain, Riley Moss, Brandon Jones and Hufanga all allow completion rates under 60%. Denver is particularly good at minimising separation on the exterior, where Surtain and Moss are in the top-five among all NFL defenders in forced incompletions. 

This defense is a model of execution in coverage, stopping the run and rushing the passer.