Chris Harris Jr. and Emmanuel Sanders Discuss the Broncos Chances Against Seattle Without Patrick Surtain II

Asher Hyre Updated: 7 hours ago

The Denver Broncos host the Seattle Seahawks in a Thursday night matchup in the Mile High City at 8:15 PM ET. Former Super Bowl champions Chris Harris Jr. and Emmanuel Sanders break down the game below.

It's a crucial matchup between two teams with Super Bowl hopes where the loser will already match their loss total from a season ago.

Seattle's offense is averaging plenty of points per game (26.8), but Sam Darnold's struggles with turnovers, plus a lack of a running game have held them back a bit. Thankfully for the Seahawks, explosive plays to superstar receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba have hidden those holes for now. JSN has accounted for nearly half of Seattle's receiving yards this year (583) and has already recorded seven touchdowns in five games.

Smith-Njigba was set to have his toughest matchup of the season against the Broncos' 2024 Defensive Player of the Year winner, cornerback Patrick Surtain II, but PS2 injured his ankle in Week 4's game against the 49ers and is out for the foreseeable future.

Check out the former stars break down the top matchups between DBs and WRs each week on YouTube @TheMatchupPod.

Chris and Emmanuel Disagree on Broncos vs. Seahawks Winner

Harris Jr. and Sanders disagreed with each other when they picked the winner for this enticing game. As a former All-Pro corner himself, Harris Jr. views the loss of Surtain as one that will be detrimental for the Broncos.

"Without [Surtain], that secondary is just too thin to stop a high-powered Seattle offense," Harris Jr. said. "I just don't see how they cover those guys downfield with the injuries they have in the back end. That's why I'm rolling with Seattle."

Harris Jr. makes a good point. Along with Surtain's absence, the Broncos will also be without safety Talanoa Hufanga, while CB2 Riley Moss is questionable with a rib injury.

However, Sanders believes the Broncos have other factors that will ultimately result in a Denver win.

"I'm sticking with the home team," Sanders said. "The pass rush is going to have to get home, and with that Denver crowd behind them, I think they find a way to pull it out."

Darnold has already been sacked nine times in his four games this year, and Denver brings in a ferocious pass rush led by Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen that led the NFL in sacks last year by a wide margin.

The hosts also believe that Denver will have to look down the field more often than they have so far this season and target their offseason pickup, Jaylen Waddle.