The Seahawks Are Super Bowl Champs - and a Blueprint for the Chiefs’ 2026 Reset
The Seattle Seahawks are back on top of the football world, and they didn’t just win Super Bowl LX - they imposed their will. In a game that showcased the value of trench warfare in today’s NFL, Seattle overwhelmed the New England Patriots at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
The result? A dominant performance that ended with Kenneth Walker hoisting the Super Bowl MVP trophy and the Seahawks lifting the Lombardi.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t a shootout. Sam Darnold didn’t light up the stat sheet, and he didn’t have to.
Seattle’s defensive front bullied New England’s offensive line from the opening snap, and their offensive line returned the favor, paving the way for Walker to take over the game. It was a complete team effort, rooted in physical dominance - the kind of performance that should have every team in the league taking notes, especially the Kansas City Chiefs.
Now, no one's saying Kansas City needs to become Seattle. The Chiefs are built differently - they’ve got Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, and their offensive identity flows through the arm of No.
- But what Seattle just proved is that you don’t have to throw for 300 yards a game if you can control the line of scrimmage.
That foundation travels - in the playoffs, in bad weather, and especially on Super Bowl Sunday.
Seattle’s defense, which allowed the fewest points in the league this season, showed up in a big way when it mattered most. They rattled Drake Maye all night long, collapsing the pocket and forcing hurried throws.
Chiefs fans watching from home might’ve had flashbacks to their own Super Bowl loss to the Buccaneers - the one where Mahomes was running for his life behind a crumbling offensive line. That kind of pressure changes everything, and Seattle brought it in waves.
For Kansas City, the takeaway is simple: if they want to be back in the big game next February, they’ve got to get better up front - on both sides of the ball.
Let’s start with the pass rush. The Chiefs just didn’t have enough juice this year.
Chris Jones, still a force at 31, did his part up the middle, but he didn’t have the help he needed. The depth at defensive tackle was thin, and the edge rush lacked a true game-changer.
George Karlaftis is a strong No. 2, but when asked to be the guy, he struggled to consistently impact games. Rookie Ashton Gillotte played a ton of snaps and earned team honors, but his role was more about availability than disruption.
Bottom line: the Chiefs need more firepower on the defensive front.
Offensively, things weren’t much better in the trenches. Kansas City has poured resources into protecting Mahomes - high draft picks, big contracts, the works.
But injuries and inconsistency told the story in 2025. Rookie Josh Simmons went down, right tackle play was shaky, and the interior run game never found its footing, despite having one of the better guard-center-guard combos in the league.
The Chiefs simply didn’t commit to a ground game that could take some heat off Mahomes, and that imbalance showed.
Looking ahead to 2026, the roadmap is clear. Kansas City needs to shore up both lines if they want to reclaim their spot atop the AFC.
That means locking down the offensive tackle situation - not just for Mahomes’ protection, but to handle the elite pass rushers they’ll face in the playoffs and in the division. Denver, after all, took the AFC West crown behind the league’s best pass rush.
The Chiefs have to be able to match that kind of physicality.
They also need to find a true lead back - someone like Kenneth Walker, who can carry the load and help control the tempo of a game. Maybe that’s a name like Jeremiyah Love.
Whoever it is, the commitment has to be there. The run game can’t be an afterthought anymore.
On defense, it’s about finding another edge rusher who can consistently win one-on-ones opposite Karlaftis. There are some intriguing draft options - Rueben Bain Jr., David Bailey - who could fit that bill.
And next to Chris Jones, they need a defensive tackle who can hold his own and push the pocket. Omarr Norman-Lott might grow into that role, but right now, he looks more like a rotational piece than a locked-in starter.
A prospect like Clemson’s Peter Woods could be worth a long look.
Sunday was Seattle’s moment. They earned it with grit, physicality, and a game plan that worked because they owned the line of scrimmage.
For Kansas City, it should be a wake-up call. Mahomes is still the best quarterback in the league, and Reid is still a future Hall of Famer.
But even greatness needs support - especially up front.
The NFL is a complex league, full of schemes, analytics, and evolving philosophies. But sometimes, it’s as simple as this: the team that controls the line of scrimmage wins.
The Seahawks did. The Chiefs didn’t.
If Kansas City wants to flip that script in 2026, it starts in the trenches.