If the Kansas City Chiefs are going to be a legitimate contender this season, let’s hope their performance Sunday night in Seattle was a blip on the radar screen and not a new trend. The Seahawks played a flawless game, and the Chiefs looked much like they did a year ago.
After numerous mistakes a week ago in a win against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Seattle Seahawks were the better team from the start, and by the inevitable conclusion, the Chiefs had no chance to win.
The Chiefs’ defense was disastrous and could never get off the field on third down. Seattle picked them apart, and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo had no levers to pull on this night.
Seattle converted over 80% of their third-down conversions, and without a pass rush, they didn’t sack quarterback Sam Donald once, making it easy for him to control the ball, time of possession, and the scoreboard. The hero was wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had 150 yards on nine catches and a touchdown. He torched J’Darius Sneed and rookie Mansore Delane twice on long passes.
Darnold looked like a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, while the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes never found a rhythm. His passes were off target; his offensive line could not deliver a clean pocket.
Further, the Seahawks spoiled the return of Kenneth Walker, who was held to a dismal 38 yards rushing. Seattle Head Coach Mike McDonald drew up a brilliant game plan to suffocate Walker and force Mahomes to miss opportunities to extend drives. With a depleted wide receiver room, the Chiefs never got into the red zone Sunday night.
Not sure how Seattle got to 3-3, but they looked like world beaters. The Chiefs looked like the team that won six games last year. Are the Chiefs this bad or the Seahawks that good? Probably way too early in the season to answer those questions.
The defense was lethargic and exhausted. Some players did their best, but others didn’t, especially Chris Jones and Sneed. Their age is showing, and that’s not a good sign for the defense.
Seattle was wounded after heartbreaking losses to Denver and San Francisco earlier this season, but they regrouped and used the extra time off to rebalance.
Head Coach Andy Reid couldn’t do much to straighten things out, and perhaps the locker-room distractions with Josh Simmons led to uneasy emotions heading into this game against Seattle.
The bottom line is that this was a big loss for the Chiefs, and with Denver on the schedule next week in the Mile High City, these teams appear headed in opposite directions. The Broncos defeated a pesky Arizona Cardinals to improve to 5-2.
For Mahomes, this was just a bad game from the start. Early penalties negated some momentum, and in the fourth quarter, down 13-3 and in Seattle territory, Harrison Butker missed his second field goal of the game, ending any legitimate threat Kansas City had to come back.
Seattle scored a late touchdown to seal its 20-3 rout of the Chiefs and made a statement: if its offense can duplicate what it did against Kansas City, it remains a contender in the NFC West.
The Chiefs better bury this game, get their act together, and play their best game of the season in Denver, where they could determine the ultimate winner of the AFC West. The Chiefs can’t afford to lose two straight at the end of a five-game stretch that includes four road games.
Let’s hope they can turn things around before the alarm bells go off.
