Seahawks vs. Broncos updates, inactives, where to watch: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Sam Darnold short-handed Denver’s secondary take on ‘targets Thursday night’

Seahawks tight end Elias Arroyo, who went down after rushing the ball on that fumble, leaves the game. He would go to the cup with the staff, as if holding the arm more sparingly.

Denver OLB Nik Bonitto drops Rashid Shaheed and drops the ball to his knee, where it is eventually recovered by the Broncos. The fumble broke up the drive to the Seahawks, with the call upheld after review.

A crucial interception penalty is called on Devon Witherspoon after Seahawks coverage on CB Courtland Sutton, putting the Broncos on the one-yard line. RJ Harvey, snaps a direct snap, then runs for an easy touchdown as Denver pulls to a 14-3 lead.

Despite a huge 39-yard kickoff return by Rashid Shaheed, another big Denver stop forced a Seahawks punt as Seattle’s offense continued to struggle to get things going.

Brandon Jones nearly picked off Sam Darnold’s last incomplete pass as he lay on the ground, but it slipped through his hands. The Broncos get the ball either way.

After a stellar drive, Denver took the lead with a four-yard touchdown run by JK Dobbins.

Box Snow continues with a long, loooong shot to Marvin Mims Jr. on third and three, but Devon Witherspoon is there with coverage in front of the end zone.

On the second play, after the Seahawks tried to draw offsides, Tyler Badie found space for a six-yard gain and a big fourth-down conversion.

Another Broncos stop forces Seattle to set up a field goal, with Jason Myers nailing a 55-yard kick attempt. The Seahawks have an early lead in this matchup.

…and there’s that Denver offense. They can’t stop Bo Snow and the Broncos, but only make it two yards before a fourth down.

Even with the punt, the Broncos got lucky: Gusticula’s safety, Julian Love, was an inch or two away from a last-ditch incomplete for an interception inside the Denver 20.

That’s Denver’s defense. As the Seahawks make their first attack, they break the Broncos with two huge plays. First, Ja’Quan McMillian gets a sack on Sam Darnold on second down; Then, Robinson takes Darnold for another six-yard loss.

The Seahawks, coming off two straight losses, will hope to turn things around against the Broncos, who will try to rally a troubled home crowd on a troubled road trip.

It looks like a brisk but sunny evening in Denver – a great night for a cross-conference matchup.

…is this the night Sean Payton gets Bo Snow going?

After a slow start to the offense this season, head coach Sean Payton made headlines with the announcement that he would be stepping back into NCAA duties, taking over from new OC Davis Webb. And the initial results were not promising at all.

Although the Broncos beat the Bulls in Week 5, the offense left plenty to be desired in Sean Payton’s return to game calling.

Through three quarters, Denver has managed just 10 points and 138 net yards (81 passing, 57 rushing), picking up first downs on just 17.5% of its plays.

To put that in perspective, if you put together all the per-game averages through the first three quarters of this season, they would be ten points ahead of Denver. 30th in 32 teams, with his yard and first in the rate were both noble dead at last.

Denver forced 13 in the fourth quarter to grab LA’s lead … but we need to see more production from this group going up against a Seahawks offense that ranks eighth in the league, averaging 26.8 points per game this season.

• Point spread; Seahawks -2.5

• Cash line odds; Seahawks -142, Broncos +120

• The whole point: Over/under 40.5

Barner had a relatively quiet start, as he accumulated 12 receptions on 20 targets for 122 yards. He recorded one touchdown, which came on a goal-line score in a play dubbed the “Barnyard” in Seattle.

But since the numbers haven’t been too impressive, I think this matchup against Denver will establish the first place in the activity. The Broncos are going to have plenty of pressure, with the hope that they can upset Darnold. Denver’s defense crashed in Los Angeles last weekend, and quarterback Justin Herbert sacked him five times in the victory.

With that in mind, Darnold should get his safety valve(s) involved, and I think that puts Barner in the perfect position to be the beneficiary of more targets. He has cleared that 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.

Read more from the “Thursday Night Football” preview, picks including the spread and the entire interview for the Seahawks vs. Broncos.

The Denver Broncos are without two of their starters in the secondary for Week 6, including two-time All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II and one-time All-Pro tight end Talanoa Hufanga — a huge break for Sam Darnold and the Seahawks secondary.

To make matters even worse, CB2 Leo Moss is sidelined with a rib injury and is questionable on Thursday night after being limited in practice all week.