The Denver Broncos definitely controlled the game in the first half against the Seattle Seahawks. They had put together two really encouraging touchdown drives and were simply more physical than the defending Super Bowl champions.
Honestly, a lot of us were surprised. The Seahawks have an exceptional defense, so nothing was going to be easy, and with how inept the Broncos offense is in the first half, seeing two touchdown drives was quite something.
And despite the win, the team's offense just went limp in the second half, as they probably lose that game if not for two key interceptions by Kris Abrams-Draine and Ja'Quan McMillian. Well, now that the Broncos 'mini-bye week' is here, this could be the time where quarterback Bo Nix and the offense get rolling.
Denver Broncos need this mini-bye week to regroup on offense, as happened last year
The obvious advantage with Thursday Night Football games is that a win means you go into a period where you don't play for nine full days and have extra time to recover for next week's game. Obviously, TNF games aren't ideal in the first place, but getting a win does seem to feel better than your typical Sunday victory.
Last year, the Broncos had a similar offensive performance in their TNF game. They had beaten the Las Vegas Raiders just 10-7 and managed just 220 yards of total offense. In fact, some had even said Nix's performance last year in that TNF game was the worst of his career. The Broncos were also wearing their throwbacks, which is another neat wrinkle
And what happened after that mini-bye week? Nix played the best football of his life in the following weeks. The team remained at home and were able to beat the Kansas City Chiefs the following week. Nix was surgical through the air even without a consistent run game, as that Chiefs game the following week was the first game the team played in 2025 without J.K. Dobbins.
Nix also had stellar performances in the following weeks against Washington, Las Vegas, and Green Bay - that Packers beatdown might have been the best game of Nix's career, to be honest. His dominant play continued into the playoffs as well, as the Broncos were able to takedown the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round.
And the main prevailing theme from that stretch run from Nix and the Broncos was how much that mini-bye week had likely played a part. Through six games this year, the Broncos are sitting at 4-2 despite having one of the tougher schedules in the NFL.
This team will see their opponents lighten up a bit in the coming weeks, and they will end up playing some poor defenses. Timing-wise, it would also make sense if Nix begins to play better, but having this extended rest is also something we saw pay off big-time last year, and you just have to wonder if the same thing happens again this year.
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