Pat Surtain II and Talanoa Hufanga Are Out Tonight, and the Seahawks Get a Thinner Broncos Secondary on Thursday Night Football

The Denver Broncos will play Thursday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks without two of their most important defensive backs. Cornerback Pat Surtain II and safety Talanoa Hufanga were both ruled out with ankle injuries, and cornerback Riley Moss is questionable with a rib injury after missing one game. Kickoff is 8:15 p.m. ET at Empower Field at Mile High on Prime Video.

Surtain, a two-time All-Pro, hurt his ankle in Week 4 at San Francisco and was a non-participant throughout the short practice week. There is some hope he returns next week against Arizona. Hufanga was hurt in the Week 5 win over the Chargers, and reports suggest he could miss several weeks.

What the secondary looks like now

If Moss can go, Denver will have one of its starting corners in the lineup. If he cannot, the depth chart turns to Jahdae Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine. Barron has the more versatile profile, but neither has the coverage track record of Surtain, who has been the player Denver uses to erase an opponent's top receiver.

At safety, Hufanga's absence removes a physical presence who contributes in run support and near the line of scrimmage. That matters against a Seattle offense that wants to establish the run and then attack off play action.

Seattle's side of the injury report

The Seahawks have their own absences. Running back Zach Charbonnet is out again, and linebackers Chazz Surratt and Drake Thomas were also ruled out. Charbonnet's absence shifts more of the backfield work to the rest of Seattle's running back group and keeps the Seahawks from running their preferred two-back rotation.

The linebacker losses matter for Denver's offense. Bo Nix and the Broncos' short passing game, with Sean Payton calling plays, should find space in the middle of the field against backups. Running backs and tight ends catching passes underneath are the most direct beneficiaries.

Fantasy fallout

Seattle receivers: This is the clearest upgrade on the slate. With Surtain out, Seattle's top receiver avoids the toughest individual coverage matchup Denver can offer. Start Seattle's top two wideouts with confidence in season-long leagues.

Denver pass catchers: Seattle's missing linebackers make Denver's backs and tight ends the better targets for underneath volume. Nix's floor comes from efficient short passing and his legs, and both should be available tonight.

Defenses: Seattle's defense is a reasonable streaming option given the low total, but the Denver defense takes a hit with its secondary depleted. Managers who had the Broncos D/ST penciled in should consider alternatives.

How Denver adjusts without Surtain

Surtain's value to the Broncos goes beyond his own coverage. Because he can travel with an opponent's best receiver, Denver's defensive coordinator can play more aggressive coverage on the other side of the field and send extra pressure without worrying about the top threat. Without him, the Broncos will likely play more zone and more two-deep shells to protect against big plays, which can make them vulnerable underneath and in the run game.

That change has a cascading effect on Denver's pass rush, too. Coverage that holds up for an extra beat gives edge rushers time to get home. When the coverage is weaker, quarterbacks can get the ball out quickly, and sacks become harder to come by. For fantasy managers, that is one more reason to downgrade the Broncos defense on a short week.

Betting angle

Seattle opened as roughly a 2.5-point favorite and has stayed in that range, with one move to 3 at some shops. The more notable move has been on the total, which opened at 42.5 and has drifted down toward 40.5 at most books.

The falling total is interesting given Denver's secondary injuries, which would usually push a total up. The market appears to be weighing Charbonnet's absence, Seattle's preference for a controlled game, and the general tendency of Thursday games to play slower and sloppier on a short week. A depleted Broncos secondary is the case for the over; the falling number and short-week conditions are the case for the under.

The model's call on this game is on the Week 6 picks page, with the full slate at NFL predictions.

What to do tonight

Season-long: Start Seattle's top receivers. Downgrade the Broncos D/ST. Treat Denver's pass catchers as matchup-neutral, with backs and tight ends getting a slight boost.

Prop angle: Seattle receiving yardage props are the most direct way to play the Surtain news. If Moss is ruled out at the inactives, that angle strengthens.

Watch at 6:45 p.m. ET: Inactives come 90 minutes before kickoff. Moss' status is the final piece of the puzzle for the Denver secondary.

What's next

Denver's next game is against Arizona, and the hope is that Surtain returns for it. Hufanga's timeline points to several more weeks. For the Broncos, tonight is about surviving a short week without their best defensive back. For the Seahawks, it is a chance to exploit that absence and stay atop the conversation in the NFC.