Numbers never lie, right?
There are so many statistics to parse through during the NFL season that some can be misleading. After each game, it’s a good exercise to review NFL “Next Gen Stats” and “Premium Stats” from Pro Football Focus and find the numbers that paint a picture not only of the game, but of what to expect from the Kansas City Chiefs
moving forward.Here are three statistics from the Week 7 win over the Seattle Seahawks and what they could mean for the rest of the season:
1. L’Jarius Sneed was targeted on 55% of his snaps in pass coverage
According to
NFL Next Gen Stats, Sneed was in coverage for only 11 snaps, but the Seahawks threw six passes his way and completed five for 83 yards. He allowed a passer rating of 118.8 despite a season-low average yards of separation (1.5) on his throws.
It was similar to Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts, when Sneed was targeted on 56% of his coverage snaps and allowed 121 yards on 10 catches. In Seattle, it seemed as if defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo adjusted by keeping Sneed on the sideline more as the game went on, but high-end receivers will continue to be targeted heavily if Sneed is matched up on them from the slot.
2. The Chiefs run a season-low 12 plays from under center
Kansas City ran it five times and passed it seven times to gain 51 yards from under center against the Seahawks. Coming into the game, the team had called at least 21 under-center plays in each game and run the ball at least 11 times.
The Chiefs totaled 100 fewer under-center yards than the second-lowest total this season (151 against the Colts).
The offensive switchup, which made the unit look eerily similar to its 2025 version, may have been a preference for quarterback Patrick Mahomes after right tackle Jaylon Moore (concussion) was unable to play; it’s speculation, but under-center plays make the quarterback have to turn his back to the defense, and it may have been hard to trust that in this specific matchup.
If Kansas City wants to get back on track, this can’t become a trend.
3. Ashton Gillotte registered 4 Stops in 28 run-defense snaps
Translation: Gillotte kicked ass when he was on the field
Stops, according to Pro Football Focus, are tackles that constitute a failure for the offense based on down and distance. Only linebacker Drue Tranquill (5) had more than Gillotte among the Chiefs’ defense in Seattle, and Gillotte’s tackles came only against handoffs.
It highlights the role Gillotte has settled into after a plantar fascia injury during training camp disrupted his start to the season. He is a strong, high-effort run defender who finds the ball and gets the ball carrier on the ground. That was on full display against the Seahawks, helping the Chiefs get to favorable third-and-long situations.
Nose tackle Khiyirs Tonga (3 Stops in 27 run-defense snaps) was also a key factor there. There’s little to be critical about when talking about Kansas City’s run defense.
4. Patrick Mahomes was pressured on 39% of his dropbacks
38.9% is the second-highest mark of his season, behind the Week 4 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, but Mahomes overcame it in Las Vegas, throwing for 225 yards and two touchdowns with a 97.2 passer rating. In Seattle, it was 165 yards and two turnover-worthy plays.
You have to tip your cap sometimes; the Seattle defense is very good. However, the offense will struggle if the run game is bottled up and Mahomes faces pressure on more than 1/3 of his dropbacks. Outside of Jaylon Moore’s return, there isn’t much else the Chiefs can do to consistently provide clean pockets on obvious pass downs, so the run game has to keep them out of those spots.
5. The average Patrick Mahomes throw from a clean pocket traveled 3.6 yards downfield
Mahomes was kept clean 47% of the time he dropped back against Seattle, a very low number that speaks to the constant pressure he dealt with, but even when he was protected, he rarely found a downfield throw to make. He checked it down to a running back often because of this; overall, the offensive scheme didn’t manufacture anything downfield against a very good Seattle defense.
