For one night, the Chiefs looked nothing like a 5-0 team.
Kansas City’s 20-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football was ugly from the opening stretch and never really got better. The offense couldn’t string together drives, the defense kept getting pushed back on its heels, and even the kicking game chipped in its share of problems. By the time it was over, the final margin felt generous.
That kind of performance forces a hard reset on expectations, especially for a team that entered Week 7 unbeaten. The Chiefs have injuries to sort through and plenty of film they won’t enjoy watching, but the bigger issue is how many cracks showed up at once. Here’s what stood out most from the meltdown in Seattle.
Patrick Mahomes could only do so much
Mahomes has spent years lifting Kansas City beyond its problems, but this version of the offense gave him very little to work with. With both starting tackles out and the top two wide receivers unavailable, the unit looked overwhelmed from the start.
Mahomes played like a quarterback bracing for pressure on nearly every snap, and even Creed Humphrey’s snaps were an issue. Seattle controlled the line of scrimmage, and Mahomes spent the night paying for it.
Kenneth Walker wasn’t going to solve everything by himself
Walker has been a major boost for the Chiefs offense this season, but this trip back to Seattle served as a reminder that one back can only carry so much. The Seahawks had answers for him in ways other defenses haven’t, and Kansas City’s lack of receiving help made it even tougher for him to find space.
Seattle’s defense tackled cleanly, closed fast, and took away the chance for Walker to turn a routine run into something bigger. He finished with 14 carries for 36 rushing yards, his first quiet game for Kansas City.
L'Jarius Sneed had too much on his plate
Jaxon Smith-Njigba was always going to make his mark at some point. Still, the bigger concern was how often L'Jarius Sneed looked out of sorts trying to handle him on third down.
Seattle finished 7-of-9 on third downs in the first half and 11-of-16 overall, and a lot of that damage came with Sneed struggling in coverage after years of knee and quad injuries. Kansas City has to be careful not to keep asking him to take on more than he can comfortably manage.
Harrison Butker didn’t provide the usual security blanket
Butker has earned all the credit in the world for what he’s done in Kansas City. He has delivered too many huge kicks to count.
But this season, the consistency just hasn’t been there. He drilled a 50-yard field goal in the second half to get the Chiefs on the board, but he also came up short on a 58-yard attempt in the first half and missed wide right from 45 yards in the fourth.
For a kicker in 2026, that’s a rough mix.
The pass rush may have been overrated after Week 6
Kansas City had gone three straight games without a sack before breaking through against Justin Herbert and the Chargers in Week 6 with four sacks in a 22-6 win. Sunday suggested that might not have been the best measuring stick, especially with several starters up front missing.
Sam Darnold had a mostly clean pocket and was able to escape just enough when he needed to, turning scrambles into first downs. Chris Jones looked slow and even disinterested, while the younger players who had been trending up also took a step back.
Seattle won up front all night.
The Chiefs still need another playmaker
This point ties a lot of the others together. The trade deadline is November 10, and Brett Veach doesn’t have much time to find help for a receiver room that is stretched thin.
Tyquan Thornton may not return this year because of an ankle injury, and Rashee Rice is expected back soon from a hamstring injury, though his availability remains a concern. Kansas City needs to raise the ceiling in that group, and it needs to raise the floor too.
If it doesn’t, the kind of offense it showed in Week 7 could show up again against better teams.
In Other News...
Chiefs May Have Found Their Travis Kelce Insurance Plan
With Travis Kelce moving deeper into the later stage of his career, the Chiefs are already getting some outside-the-building chatter about what life after him might look like. ESPNs Bill Barnwell floated a scenario in which Kansas City could send a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Eagles for tight end Dallas Goedert, a move that would give the offense either a ready-made replacement or a high-end complement if the team wants to keep Kelce in the fold a little longer.
It is only a speculative idea, but it fits the kind of long-range planning contenders have to do when one of the defining players of an era could be nearing the finish line after the 2026 season. Goedert has been productive in Philadelphia and would bring a proven receiving presence to a Chiefs offense that has leaned on Kelce for so much of its passing-game identity, which is why the proposal is already the sort of roster thought experiment worth paying attention to. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Fans Will Be Watching One Matchup Closely In Seattle
The Chiefs head to Seattle in Week 7 still unbeaten, fresh off Patrick Mahomes guiding them to a decisive win over the Chargers. It is a matchup that brings a different kind of test, too, because the Seahawks remain the defending Super Bowl champions and have enough firepower on offense to make Kansas City work for every stop.
One of the biggest questions for Chiefs fans is how Seattle handles life without Kenneth Walker III, who has been one of the leagues more productive backs with his rushing production and touchdowns. The Seahawks still have Jaxon Smith-Njigba playing at a high level, so Kansas City will need to be sharp against both the run game and a passing attack that can still create problems if the Chiefs are not locked in from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Suddenly Face A Backfield Question They Can't Ignore
The Chiefs backfield took an immediate hit when Brashard Smith landed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, a move that will keep him out for at least four games. Smith had become part of the running back mix, so losing him now forces Kansas City to reshuffle a depth chart that was already built on flexibility and weekly adjustment.
To help cover the spot, the Chiefs signed Jaydn Ott from the practice squad to the active roster, giving themselves another option as they try to absorb the loss. Kansas City also got linebacker Cooper McDonald back from injured reserve, a small boost on the defensive side, but the bigger concern right now is how the offense handles a sudden hole in its backfield rotation. [Read more 🡒]