The Seattle Seahawks (4-3) needed a win in the worst way, and what a way to pull it off. They dominated the Kansas City Chiefs (5-1) from start to finish, and the 20-3 Seahawks final score actually flattered the Chiefs.
It wasn’t Kenneth Walker who rushed for over 100 yards; he only had 36 yards on 14 carries. It was Emanuel Wilson, whose fourth quarter touchdown wrapped things up, who led everyone with his first 100-yard game as a Seahawk. It wasn’t Sam Darnold who looked frazzled and panicked (outside
of one throw, admittedly), it was Patrick Mahomes. Darnold was 20/28 for 257 yards, a touchdown, and an aforementioned bad interception that ultimately didn’t result in any Chiefs points. Most importantly, Darnold was not sacked.
Mahomes threw for only 165 yards, an interception, and multiple times the NBC cameras showed him looking in disbelief playing “The Dark Side” defense. Kansas City never reached the red zone, a first in the Mahomes era.
Seattle had over 400 yards of total offense, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba responsible for 150 through the air and another 13 in rushing yards.
The Seahawks may have dropped two straight, but they bounced back and reminded everyone that they’re still the Super Bowl champions until further notice.
Seahawks vs. Chiefs 1st half recap
The Chiefs started on offense and, in a surprise to no one, looked to get Kenneth Walker involved early. Walker caught a pass for six yards on the opening play, and was set to convert a third down through the air on a checkdown. Travis Kelce, however, never got set and was called for an illegal shift. A throw from Patrick Mahomes to Kelce was off-target, resulting in a punt after just one first down gained.
Seattle’s sputtering offense got the ball at its own 14. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was targeted on the first three plays, catching two passes for 14 yards. AJ Barner converted on a ‘Barnyard’ special, but the Seahawks drive stalled out after Tory Horton couldn’t reel in a third-down pass from Sam Darnold. Mansoor Delane knocked the ball loose for an excellent PBU.
While the Chiefs were backed up inside the 10, the usual Mahomes magic saw him escape the pocket to hit a couple of throws to Justin Watson and Noah Gray. Derick Hall took advantage of Kansas City’s backup right tackle to force a throwaway from Mahomes on third down and short in Seattle territory. Andy Reid, probably predictably, went against modern day philosophies and punted instead of go for it at Seattle’s 43. The Seahawks were pinned at their 8.
The Seahawks scored the opening points of the night, albeit not nearly as many as they would’ve liked. Sam Darnold was crisp on a 15-play, 86-yard drive that included multiple third-down conversions to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, plus one to Cooper Kupp. The second JSN conversion was an explosive play for 27 yards into the red zone.
Velus Jones Jr scampered for 11 yards on the right side of the line to set up a goal-to-go sequence that was one to forget. A.J. Barner’s shovel pass bubble thankfully stayed in his hands, but there was only a field goal at the end of the road. Jason Myers was spot on from 25 just outside the midway mark of the second quarter. 3-0 Seahawks.
PICK! The first interception thrown in this game was by Mahomes, not Darnold! Nick Emmanwori pressured Mahomes, who stumbled while scrambling and threw a bad ball into the waiting arms of Ty Okada. It’s his second career interception, both coming on SNF!
The Seahawks made their way into Chiefs territory through first downs by Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Emanuel Wilson, but the highlight entering the two-minute warning was Sam Darnold scrambling out of pressure and diving for the first down. A 7-yard gain on 3rd and 6 to keep the drive going!
On 3rd and 9, Darnold beat the blitz by attacking 1-on-1 coverage down the field. You know who caught it, you know who scored it (upon replay review). 10-0 Seahawks.
The Chiefs two-minute drill cratered quickly, with Mahomes looking uncomfortable and rushed, both mentally and physically. A three-and-out followed by a good punt return by Rashid Shaheed gave the Seahawks a chance at more points before halftime. Darnold kept dealing, throwing another dart to JSN to set up first-and-goal at the 2. George Holani was stuffed at the 2, then the follow-up pass by Darnold was picked in the end zone by Nohl Williams. This could’ve been a game-changing pick-6 if not for the efforts of Charles Cross, who chased Williams down to not just prevent the touchdown, but keep KC out of automatic field goal range.
K9 got a short run that almost ran the clock out, but the Chiefs had a timeout and a second left. Harrison Butker’s 58-yarder was straight but short, so the score remained 10-0 Seahawks at halftime.
Seahawks vs. Chiefs 2nd half recap
The Seahawks failed to score in their two-minute drill when they were right at the doorstep, so no opportunity to double up. They did get the ball to start the second half, and once again they were able to capitalize on third down, something they’ve struggled to do all year. Darnold scrambled for a first down into Chiefs territory, then George Holani broke two tackles for another first down on 3rd and long! A play-action throw to A.J. Barner put the Seahawks in the red zone, where things inevitably went awry. No turnover this time, so Jason Myers came on for a 35-yard field goal. 13-0 Seahawks.
Kansas City finally got the ball back for an extended period of time and got into field goal range, in part because Mahomes converted 4th and short to Xavier Worthy, followed by his usual scramble drill with Travis Kelce. On third down, Mahomes was sacked and rocked by Derick Hall, who forced the ball out. Seemingly the entire Seahawks defense and Chiefs offense had a chance to recover the ball, and somehow Mahomes recovered it! Harrison Butker made a field goal, so that recovery saved three points. 13-3 Seahawks.
The Seahawks got a big kick return from Tory Horton to near midfield, but squandered the field position and punted it back. The Chiefs needed points and they needed them pronto. Mahomes hit a couple of big throws to Travis Kelce and Noah Gray. Kansas City worked its way into field goal range, then Leonard Williams swatted a 3rd and 3 pass down to make Andy Reid decide between another 4th down attempt or kicking a field goal. He trusted Harrison Butker from 45 yards out and he was not to be trusted. Wide right!
Seattle got the ball back and went into clock-killing mode. Not only did they kill clock, they killed the game. Throws to JSN and A.J. Barner gained first downs, while Emanuel Wilson provided the knockout punch. He found a crease between Nick Kallerup and Eric Saubert for the 21-yard touchdown run. 20-3 Seahawks.
The Chiefs turned it over on downs, Seattle ran the clock out, game over!
Seahawks injury report
- WR/KR Rashid Shaheed was ruled out with a knee injury suffered in the second quarter.
- RB/KR Velus Jones Jr was ruled out with a hamstring injury suffered in the third quarter.
- LT Charles Cross was rolled up on in the fourth quarter and replaced by Josh Jones.
Full Seahawks vs. Chiefs box score
Next week’s opponent
The Seahawks stay home for another primetime game, this time on Monday Night Football versus the Chicago Bears (5-2). Kickoff time is 5:15 pm PT on ESPN on Nov. 2.
