Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught nine passes for 150 yards and a touchdown, Emanuel Wilson ran for 100 yards, and the Seattle Seahawks handed the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss of the season, 20-3, on Sunday night, October 25, at Lumen Field.
Seattle snaps a two-game losing streak and moves to 4-3. Kansas City falls to 5-1 after managing only a third-quarter field goal. The defending champions held the Chiefs to 213 total yards and 50 on the ground, and kept their own streak alive: Seattle has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 36 straight games, the longest active run in the league.
A slow start, then Smith-Njigba
Neither team scored in the first quarter. Seattle’s first real drive went 15 plays and 86 yards, helped by a 33-yard catch by Smith-Njigba, but it stalled at the Kansas City 7 and Jason Myers kicked a 25-yard field goal with 8:22 left in the half.
On the next series, Kansas City converted a fourth-and-1 near midfield with a Kenneth Walker III run, but two plays later Patrick Mahomes threw for Jalen Royals and safety Ty Okada intercepted the pass at the Seattle 34. Sam Darnold kept the drive alive with a 7-yard scramble, and on third-and-9 he threw deep down the left side to Smith-Njigba. The catch was first ruled out of bounds at the 1, but replay showed he had scored, and the 28-yard touchdown made it 10-0 with 1:44 left in the half.
Seattle nearly added more. Another 28-yard throw to Smith-Njigba took the Seahawks to the Kansas City 3 in the final half-minute, but Darnold’s pass for Rashid Shaheed was intercepted in the end zone by rookie cornerback Nohl Williams, who returned it 65 yards. Harrison Butker’s 58-yard try on the last play of the half fell short.
Butker’s rough night
Myers made a 35-yard field goal midway through the third quarter to finish a 13-play drive, and it was 13-0. Kansas City finally got on the board after a 13-play drive of its own. Mahomes converted a fourth-and-1 at his own 44 with a short pass to Xavier Worthy, but Derick Hall sacked him and knocked the ball loose on third down at the Seattle 30. Mahomes recovered, and Butker made a 50-yard field goal with 1:42 left in the third.
That was as close as the Chiefs got. Early in the fourth quarter, Mahomes found Travis Kelce for 19 yards and Kansas City reached the Seattle 27, but Butker pushed a 45-yard attempt wide right with 8:38 left. Butker finished 1 for 3, and he has missed 10 field goals since the start of last season. “He’s off a bit. Got to fix it,” Andy Reid said.
Seattle answered with a nine-play, 65-yard drive, and Wilson ran 21 yards for a touchdown with 3:47 to play. The Chiefs turned the ball over on downs at their own 45 on the next possession, and Seattle ran out the clock.
Walker held in check
Walker came into his first game back in Seattle leading the league at 133 rushing yards a game. The Super Bowl MVP for Seattle last season, now with Kansas City, finished with 36 yards on 14 carries and a long run of 7. He also caught four passes for 21 yards. “We know what kind of running back was coming in here, but we don’t allow people to run through our defense,” linebacker Ernest Jones IV said. “That’s just us.”
Mahomes, who said during the week he expected a loud, amped-up building, never found a rhythm. He completed 19 of 33 passes for 165 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. Reid took the blame. “Listen, all three phases we struggled, so we’ve got to do better, and that’s my responsibility,” he said.
The one bright spot for Kansas City was a milestone for Kelce. His four catches gave him 1,104 career receptions, moving him past Marvin Harrison and Cris Carter into fifth place in NFL history.
The numbers
- Sam Darnold: 20 of 28 for 257 yards, one touchdown and one interception; not sacked.
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba: nine catches on 12 targets for 150 yards and a touchdown, with a long of 33. The reigning Offensive Player of the Year leads the league in receiving.
- Emanuel Wilson: 24 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown. AJ Barner caught four passes for 42 yards.
- Patrick Mahomes: 19 of 33 for 165 yards and an interception, plus 14 rushing yards.
- Chiefs receivers: Kelce and Noah Gray each had 44 receiving yards. Worthy caught three of six targets for 11 yards.
- Defense: Jones led Seattle with nine tackles, Okada had the interception and Hall had the only Seattle sack. For Kansas City, Drue Tranquill had 12 tackles, Nick Bolton 11 and Williams 10 to go with his interception.
Seattle outgained Kansas City 410-213, held the ball for 35:51 and converted 11 of 16 third downs. The Seahawks went 0 for 3 in the red zone, which is why the score was not more lopsided, and Mike Macdonald noted it afterward. “I think this game reminds the guys what we’re capable of,” he said, before pointing to red-zone execution and negative plays as things his team still has to clean up.
Injuries
Seattle lost two starters. Shaheed left early in the second half with a knee injury and did not return. Left tackle Charles Cross was hurt in the fourth quarter, and Monday’s MRI showed a high ankle sprain that should keep him out one to two weeks. Running back Zach Charbonnet, activated this week, was ruled out before the game. Kansas City played without receiver Rashee Rice, who missed a third straight game with a hamstring injury, and tackle Jaylon Moore, who is in the concussion protocol.
What comes next
Kansas City visits the Denver Broncos on Sunday, November 1, at 4:25 p.m. ET. Seattle hosts the Chicago Bears on Monday night, November 2, at 8:15 p.m. ET.
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