Probetrics — Sports Analytics
NFL slate
Seattle Seahawks
17-3 last yr · #1 Elo
at
Thu, Oct 15, 8:15 PM ET
Empower Field at Mile High
Denver Broncos
15-4 last yr · #4 Elo
Spread SEA -2.5Total 43.5Moneyline SEA -130 · DEN +110

The read

On rating alone Seattle Seahawks are 3.4 points better (#1 vs #4 of 32), and DEN add 0.0 for home field. The clearest mismatch is the rushing game: SEA rushing ranks #21, DEN defends it at #10; the other way DEN #19 into SEA's #1.

Who has the edge

Rating
Clear edge
SEA
SEA rated 3.4 points better on Elo (#4 vs #1).
Home & rest
Even
DEN gets 0.0 points for home field.
Quarterback
not priced
Usual starters on both sides — Bo Nix and Sam Darnold — no adjustment.
Passing game
Slight edge
SEA
SEA passing ranks #7, DEN defends it at #7; the other way DEN #12 into SEA's #6.
context · not in the margin
Rushing game
Slight edge
SEA
SEA rushing ranks #21, DEN defends it at #10; the other way DEN #19 into SEA's #1.
context · not in the margin
Third down & red zone
Even
SEA third-down conversion ranks #16, DEN defends it at #6; the other way DEN #13 into SEA's #1.
context · not in the margin
Form (last 5)
Clear edge
SEA
DEN +1.8 per game over the last five, SEA +16.4.
context · not in the margin
Market
Slight edge
SEA
Consensus has SEA by 2.5.
context · not in the margin

The margin, factor by factor

Seattle SeahawksDenver Broncos
1671 Elo · #1
RatingThe Elo gap in points — the model's core read on who is better, before the situational pieces below.
SEA +3.4 pts
1597 Elo · #4
road
Home field
not priced
home
Rest
even
Darnold · +4.2 EPA/g
QuarterbackStarter's value against what the team usually gets at quarterback. Only moves when someone other than the usual starter plays.
even
Nix · +4.2 EPA/g
+1.3 pts vs DEN D
Offense vs defenseEach offense's scoring rating against the other defense's — what drives the model total. Shown as an edge, though the winner call runs on Elo.
SEA +7.1 pts
−5.8 pts vs SEA D
W W W W W · +16.4
Form (last 5)Average margin over the last five games. Already inside the ratings — listed so you can see when recent form and the rating disagree.
SEA +7.3 pts
L W W W L · +1.8
8 out/IR
InjuriesCount of players listed Out or on IR. Not priced beyond the quarterback.
not priced
8 out/IR
SEA -2.5
MarketThe consensus spread, read as points. Compare with the model margin above it.
SEA +2.5 pts
DEN +2.5

Bars are in points toward the favored side. Blue factors are inside the model's margin; grey ones are context it does not add on top (form and offense/defense are already in the ratings; injuries beyond the quarterback are not priced).

Dissect the matchup

nflverse play-by-play + FTN charting · 2025 season (last season until three games are in)

Biggest mismatches

  • DEN defense (#3 rush success rate allowed) against a SEA offense ranked #24
  • SEA defense (#4 pass success rate allowed) against a DEN offense ranked #24
  • SEA defense (#1 epa / rush allowed) against a DEN offense ranked #19
  • DEN defense (#3 red-zone touchdown rate allowed) against a SEA offense ranked #20
  • SEA defense (#1 yards / rush allowed) against a DEN offense ranked #18

A mismatch is a rank gap of at least a fifth of the league between an offense and the defense it faces on the same measure. Descriptive rows (pass rate, pace, direction) are shown for reading the game, not ranked. ▲▼ mark where the last three games sit clearly above or below the season number, in the direction that helps that side.

Seattle Seahawks offense vs Denver Broncos defense

ranks of 32
SEA offDEN defEdge
Identity
Pass rate / Pass rate facedDropbacks as a share of plays. On the defense column: what opponents do against them.52%64%·
Early-down pass rateFirst and second down only — the cleanest read on run-heavy vs pass-heavy.48%58%·
Neutral-script pass rateEarly downs with win probability between 20% and 80%: intent, not catch-up mode.53%57%·
Pass rate over expectedHow much more (or less) a team passes than the down, distance, score and clock predict. nflverse xpass.−6.5%−0.4%·
Seconds per playTime of possession divided by plays — lower is faster.30.728.7·
No-huddle7%13%·
Shotgun47%75%·
Play-action rate / Play-action facedShare of dropbacks with a play fake (FTN charting).25%21%·
RPO rate / RPOs faced2%9%·
Screen rate / Screens faced6%7%·
Pre-snap motion / Motion faced58%56%·
Blitzes faced / Blitz rateFive or more pass rushers (FTN). On the offense column: how often opponents blitz them.33%33%·
Pass rushers faced / Avg pass rushers4.404.38·
Passing
EPA / dropbackThe single best pass-efficiency number; on the defense column, what they allow.+0.14#7−0.07#7·
Pass success rate52%#138%#2·
Explosive pass rateDropbacks gaining 20+ yards.10.2%#66.5%#4·
Yards / dropback7.5#15.0#1·
Depth of target (aDOT)Average air yards per attempt — how far downfield they throw, or get thrown at.8.18.9·
Deep-ball rate (20+ air)11%15%·
Short throws (≤5 air)49%49%·
Completion % over expectednflverse CPOE, per attempt. Defense column: what they allow.+4.4#4−3.3#5·
YAC / completion5.5#104.6#6·
Sack rate / Sack rate generatedSacks per dropback. Lower is better for an offense; the defense column shows sacks they create.5.3%#119.9%#1DEN
Scramble rate2.6%5.7%·
Interception rate / Interceptions forced2.6%#251.9%#20·
Throws left / middle / rightDirection shares are shown in full on the row.L 40 · M 22 · R 38L 37 · M 19 · R 44·
Rushing
EPA / rush−0.06#21−0.09#10DEN
Rush success rate39%#2437%#3DEN
Explosive rush rateRushes of 10+ yards.11.3%#76.8%#3·
Yards / rush4.2#173.6#3DEN
Runs left / middle / rightL 38 · M 27 · R 35L 33 · M 27 · R 40·
Situational
Third-down conversion40%#1636%#6DEN
Red-zone touchdown rateDrives reaching the 20 that end in a touchdown.56%#2044%#3DEN
Turnovers / game / Takeaways / game1.30#260.95#22·
Plays / game5963·

Denver Broncos offense vs Seattle Seahawks defense

ranks of 32
DEN offSEA defEdge
Identity
Pass rate / Pass rate facedDropbacks as a share of plays. On the defense column: what opponents do against them.63%66%·
Early-down pass rateFirst and second down only — the cleanest read on run-heavy vs pass-heavy.57%61%·
Neutral-script pass rateEarly downs with win probability between 20% and 80%: intent, not catch-up mode.59%54%·
Pass rate over expectedHow much more (or less) a team passes than the down, distance, score and clock predict. nflverse xpass.+1.7%+0.2%·
Seconds per playTime of possession divided by plays — lower is faster.29.228.9·
No-huddle13%14%·
Shotgun66%70%·
Play-action rate / Play-action facedShare of dropbacks with a play fake (FTN charting).24%21%·
RPO rate / RPOs faced9%5%·
Screen rate / Screens faced11%7%·
Pre-snap motion / Motion faced50%54%·
Blitzes faced / Blitz rateFive or more pass rushers (FTN). On the offense column: how often opponents blitz them.22%21%·
Pass rushers faced / Avg pass rushers4.084.22·
Passing
EPA / dropbackThe single best pass-efficiency number; on the defense column, what they allow.+0.08#12−0.09#6SEA
Pass success rate43%#2442%#4SEA
Explosive pass rateDropbacks gaining 20+ yards.7.4%#197.2%#8SEA
Yards / dropback6.0#195.4#4SEA
Depth of target (aDOT)Average air yards per attempt — how far downfield they throw, or get thrown at.7.27.3·
Deep-ball rate (20+ air)12%13%·
Short throws (≤5 air)61%56%·
Completion % over expectednflverse CPOE, per attempt. Defense column: what they allow.−1.7#23−1.4#8SEA
YAC / completion5.3#135.3#21DEN
Sack rate / Sack rate generatedSacks per dropback. Lower is better for an offense; the defense column shows sacks they create.3.4%#26.9%#11DEN
Scramble rate5.5%6.6%·
Interception rate / Interceptions forced1.9%#103.0%#6·
Throws left / middle / rightDirection shares are shown in full on the row.L 40 · M 16 · R 44L 37 · M 20 · R 43·
Rushing
EPA / rush−0.06#19−0.19#1SEA
Rush success rate43%#1036%#1SEA
Explosive rush rateRushes of 10+ yards.9.5%#175.0%#1SEA
Yards / rush4.2#183.5#1SEA
Runs left / middle / rightL 40 · M 21 · R 39L 34 · M 35 · R 31·
Situational
Third-down conversion41%#1333%#1SEA
Red-zone touchdown rateDrives reaching the 20 that end in a touchdown.56%#2252%#6SEA
Turnovers / game / Takeaways / game0.95#111.60#4SEA
Plays / game6362·

Route-by-route data (which routes are run and how coverage plays them) is not published anywhere public — it is sold by PFF and NGS. Throw depth, direction, play-action, RPO, screens, motion and pass-rush counts above are the public pieces of the same picture.

Seattle Seahawks · key players

  • Sam Darnold QB18.9/28.4 · 236 yds/g · 30-14 TD-INT · +0.16 EPA/db
  • Jaxon Smith-Njigba WR9.4 tgt/g · 36% share · 100 yds/g · 12 TD · aDOT 11.1
  • Cooper Kupp WR4.9 tgt/g · 18% share · 39 yds/g · 3 TD · aDOT 7.8
  • AJ Barner TE3.8 tgt/g · 13% share · 29 yds/g · 7 TD · aDOT 4.5
  • Rashid Shaheed WR3.0 tgt/g · 10% share · 22 yds/g · 0 TD · aDOT 15.8
  • Kenneth Walker III RB14.3 car/g · 67 yds/g · 4.7 ypc · 9 TD · −0.04 EPA/car
  • Zach Charbonnet RBOut11.1 car/g · 44 yds/g · 4.0 ypc · 12 TD · −0.01 EPA/car

2025 season, per game. Targets ranked by volume, rushers by carries.nflverse weekly player stats. Target share is the player's average share of his team's targets in the games he played. A player who changed teams carries his own games from last season.

Denver Broncos · key players

  • Bo Nix QB23.0/36.6 · 234 yds/g · 28-12 TD-INT · +0.10 EPA/db
  • Courtland Sutton WR7.3 tgt/g · 21% share · 57 yds/g · 8 TD · aDOT 12.3
  • Troy Franklin WR6.1 tgt/g · 18% share · 42 yds/g · 6 TD · aDOT 12.7
  • Evan Engram TE4.6 tgt/g · 13% share · 27 yds/g · 1 TD · aDOT 4.2
  • Marvin Mims Jr. WRQuestionable3.8 tgt/g · 11% share · 28 yds/g · 2 TD · aDOT 9.2
  • RJ Harvey RB8.7 car/g · 31 yds/g · 3.6 ypc · 7 TD · −0.16 EPA/car
  • J.K. Dobbins RB15.3 car/g · 77 yds/g · 5.0 ypc · 4 TD · +0.03 EPA/car

2025 season, per game. Targets ranked by volume, rushers by carries.nflverse weekly player stats. Target share is the player's average share of his team's targets in the games he played. A player who changed teams carries his own games from last season.

Season

SEADEN
17-3Record15-4
29.2Points for / game23.2
16.9Points against / game18.5
8-2 / 9-1Home / road9-2 / 6-2
15-5Against the spread9-10
11-9Over / underOvers–unders in this team's games. A tendency, not a lean.8-11
W W W W WLast 5L W W W L

Season numbers are from 2025 until this season has games.

Power ratings

SEADEN
1671Elo1597
#1 of 32Rank#4 of 32
+4.9Offense ratingPoints per game above league average scored, opponent-adjusted.+0.8
+6.5Defense ratingPoints per game below league average allowed, opponent-adjusted. Positive is good.+3.6
Strength of scheduleMean Elo of opponents faced this season.

Elo drives the winner call. Offense/defense ratings drive the total.

Efficiency

SEADEN
0.043EPA / play (offense)Expected points added per offensive play, nflverse. The single best efficiency number.0.026
-0.115EPA / play allowed-0.081
237Pass yards / game229
124Rush yards / game114
222Pass yards allowed209
93Rush yards allowed99
1.1 / 1.8Turnovers / takeaways0.8 / 1.3
1.6 / 2.8Sacks allowed / made1.4 / 4.0
18.2First downs / game17.7
44Penalty yards / game62
+4.2 · #13 of 52QB EPA / gameThe listed starter's passing + rushing EPA per game, ranked among starters with three or more games.+4.2 · #14 of 52

Efficiency is from the 2025 season until this one has games. Source: nflverse.

Head to head

2024DEN 20 at SEA 26SEA · DEN covered
2022DEN 16 at SEA 17SEA · SEA covered
2018SEA 24 at DEN 27DEN · push
2014DEN 20 at SEA 26SEA · SEA covered
2013SEA 43 vs DEN 8SEA · SEA covered

How the margin was built

Rating gap
SEA +3.4 pts
Home field
DEN +— pts
Rest
Even
Quarterback
Usual starters — no adjustment
Weather / roof
— pts on the total
Model margin
Model total

Market

Spread
SEA -2.5
Total
43.5
Moneyline
SEA -130 · DEN +110
BookDEN spreadTotalSEA MLDEN ML
betus+2.5 (-105)43.5 (-110/-110)
draftkings+2.5 (-105)43.5 (-110/-110)-130
williamhill_us+1.5 (-115)42.5 (-115/-115)-125

Seattle Seahawks injuries

  • Terrion Arnold CBOut
  • Zach Charbonnet RBOut
  • Aaron Smith LBInjured Reserve
  • Bud Clark SInjured Reserve
  • Irv Charles WRInjured Reserve
  • Jake Bobo WRInjured Reserve
  • Mason Richman GInjured Reserve
  • Robbie Ouzts FBInjured Reserve
  • Emanuel Wilson RBQuestionable
  • Nick Emmanwori SQuestionable
  • Tory Horton WRQuestionable

From ESPN's report. The model prices the quarterback; other absences are context it does not yet price.

Denver Broncos injuries

  • Jonathon Cooper LBOut
  • Nick Gargiulo GOut
  • Caleb Lohner TEInjured Reserve
  • Drew Sanders LBInjured Reserve
  • Frank Crum OTInjured Reserve
  • Levelle Bailey LBInjured Reserve
  • Matt Henningsen DEInjured Reserve
  • Michael Deiter CInjured Reserve
  • Luke Wattenberg CQuestionable
  • Marvin Mims Jr. WRQuestionable
  • Riley Moss CBQuestionable

From ESPN's report. The model prices the quarterback; other absences are context it does not yet price.

Informational only. Winner probabilities are backtested and calibrated; spread and total calls are tracked leans. 21+, 1-800-GAMBLER.