The Kansas City Chiefs will face their toughest test of the young season as they travel for a Sunday night matchup against the defending Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks.
Kansas City remains undefeated at 5-0, while Seattle is 3-3 after two straight losses, but the record doesn’t tell the whole story. The Seahawks possess the NFL’s top-ranked defense and remain especially difficult to beat at Lumen Field.
The game will also mark Kenneth Walker III’s first return to Seattle after helping the
Seahawks win last season’s Super Bowl. Walker now leads the league in rushing and has transformed a Chiefs offense that struggled to run the ball consistently a year ago.
Here are three keys to a Chiefs victory in Week 7.
Offensive key: Stay committed to Kenneth Walker III
Seattle enters the matchup ranked first in total defense, allowing only 237.3 yards per game. The Seahawks are particularly dominant against the pass, surrendering a league-low 141.3 passing yards per game. They also allow only 96 rushing yards per game and haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher since October 2024.
Those numbers make this a strength-on-strength matchup.
Walker leads the NFL with 665 rushing yards, 6.3 yards per attempt and 133 rushing yards per game. He also leads the league with 52 broken tackles and has produced seven runs of at least 20 yards.
He continued his outstanding start against the Chargers, rushing for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Now he returns to face the team he won a championship against less than a year ago.
The Chiefs cannot let Seattle’s early success on the run push them away from Walker. Some carries may produce only two or three yards, but Andy Reid must remain patient.
Keeping Walker involved will prevent Seattle from making Kansas City one-dimensional. It can also slow the pass rush, create manageable third downs and open opportunities for Patrick Mahomes in the play-action passing game.
Establishing the run will be particularly important at Lumen Field. Long, sustained drives can quiet the crowd and keep Seattle’s defense from attacking Kansas City’s offensive line in obvious passing situations.
The Chiefs do not necessarily need Walker to extend his streak of 100-yard performances. Seattle has not allowed an individual runner to reach that mark in two years. However, Kansas City should aim to finish with at least 100 rushing yards.
Even if explosive runs aren’t immediately available, Walker must remain central to the offensive plan.
Defensive key: Contain Jaxon Smith-Njigba
The Seahawks have several capable offensive players, but it all starts with Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Through six games, Smith-Njigba is averaging approximately 11 targets, 8.2 receptions and 120 receiving yards per game. His estimated 35.6% target share leads the NFL, demonstrating how heavily Seattle’s passing attack depends on him.
The Chiefs are unlikely to completely stop Smith-Njigba. The objective should be to contain him, prevent explosive receptions and force Sam Darnold to consistently find his secondary options.
Kansas City should feel comfortable allowing its outside cornerbacks to challenge Smith-Njigba when he lines up on the perimeter. The more difficult assignment will come when Seattle moves him into the slot, where he can avoid press coverage and find favorable matchups against safeties and linebackers.
Steve Spagnuolo will need to vary his coverages. That could mean bracketing Smith-Njigba on important downs, rotating a safety toward him after the snap, or using zone coverage to keep multiple defenders between him and the end zone.
The priority is preventing one reception from changing the game. Smith-Njigba has the speed and route-running ability to turn a small opening into an explosive play. Kansas City should force Seattle to sustain long drives instead.
The defensive benchmark should be to keep Smith-Njigba under 100 receiving yards and prevent him from catching a 30-yard or longer pass.
If the Chiefs can accomplish that, Darnold will have to prove he can patiently work through his progressions and win by distributing the ball elsewhere.
X-factor: Win the turnover battle
Darnold helped lead Seattle to a championship last season, but he has struggled since returning to the starting lineup.
He enters Sunday night with 60.4% completion, 1,033 yards, seven touchdowns, and seven interceptions. His 77.4 passer rating reflects an offense that has become inconsistent and far too dependent on Smith-Njigba. Darnold has also been sacked 14 times.
He threw two interceptions during Seattle’s overtime loss to Denver, including mistakes on two of the Seahawks’ final three possessions. When pressured or forced to play from behind, Darnold has given opposing defenses opportunities.
Kansas City’s pass rush finally converted its pressure into production against Los Angeles. The Chiefs recorded four sacks after going three consecutive games without one. Chris Jones, George Karlaftis, Ashton Gillotte, Peter Woods, and Chamarri Conner all helped bring down Justin Herbert.
Karlaftis has been especially disruptive, generating 19 pressures across his last two games.
The Chiefs should not have to blitz Darnold on every passing down. Spagnuolo can use simulated pressure and late coverage rotations to make Darnold believe pressure is coming before dropping defenders into his passing lanes.
Kansas City must also protect the football on offense.
Mahomes threw an interception against the Chargers, giving him three this season. Seattle’s defense is too talented for the Chiefs to give it short fields and extra possessions.
The goal should be to force at least two takeaways while committing no more than one turnover. Winning that margin would prevent Seattle’s defense and home crowd from controlling the game.
The bottom line
The Chiefs don’t need to abandon the identity that has carried them to an undefeated start just because they are facing the NFL’s top-ranked defense.
Kansas City must remain committed to Kenneth Walker, even if Seattle limits him early. Defensively, the Chiefs need to contain Jaxon Smith-Njigba, prevent explosive plays and force Sam Darnold to rely on his other weapons. Most importantly, they must pressure Darnold into mistakes without giving Seattle similar opportunities on the other side.
If the Chiefs reach 100 rushing yards, keep Smith-Njigba under 100 receiving yards, and win the turnover battle, they will have an excellent chance to defeat the defending champions, remain undefeated, and leave Seattle with their most impressive win of the season.
