Chiefs at Seahawks Preview: Kansas City Takes Its Perfect Run Under the Lights

Chiefs Kingdom, the unbeaten run goes prime time. Kansas City brings a 5-0 record to Lumen Field for Sunday Night Football against a Seattle team sitting at 3-3 record-wise. Seattle has lost three of its last five, and the Chiefs have won every time they have taken the field.

Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks | Sunday, Oct. 25 | Kickoff 7:20 PM CT | NBC (Sunday Night Football) | Lumen Field

Our Take: The Chiefs' defense is the reason they're unbeaten, and it gets a Seattle offense that has turned the ball over. Contain Jaxon Smith-Njigba, make Sam Darnold throw into coverage, and Kansas City leaves Seattle still unbeaten.

## Expected lineup and depth notes

Patrick Mahomes starts at quarterback: 105 of 158 for 1,309 yards, 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, per ESPN's season leaders. Kenneth Walker III has been the engine of the offense, with 106 carries for 665 yards and 6 touchdowns. Travis Kelce leads the receivers with 20 catches for 299 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kelce was limited in practice this week but carries no game designation.

The receiver group is short-handed. Rashee Rice is out with hamstring and knee injuries. Tackle Jaylon Moore is out with a concussion, and running back Brashard Smith is out with a hamstring injury.

On defense, Nick Bolton leads the team with 48 tackles. Cornerback L'Jarius Sneed is questionable with a knee injury, which matters against this Seattle passing game.

For Seattle, Sam Darnold is 90 of 149 for 1,033 yards with 7 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the star: 49 catches for 717 yards and 7 touchdowns. Emanuel Wilson leads the run game with 303 yards, with Zach Charbonnet out. Leonard Williams leads the defense with 3 sacks and Ernest Jones IV has 59 tackles.

## Injury report (official game designations, NFL.com Week 7 report)

Chiefs: OT Jaylon Moore (concussion) out; WR Rashee Rice (hamstring/knee) out; RB Brashard Smith (hamstring) out; LB Cooper McDonald (knee) questionable; CB L'Jarius Sneed (knee) questionable.

Seahawks: RB Zach Charbonnet (knee) out; LB Chazz Surratt (calf) out; LB Drake Thomas (ankle) out; S Nick Emmanwori questionable; LB DeMarcus Lawrence questionable; QB Drew Lock (elbow) questionable; LB Uchenna Nwosu questionable; LB Connor O'Toole questionable.

Inactives come out about 90 minutes before kickoff, and we will update this Take if anything changes.

## How they stack up (ESPN team stats)

- Scoring: Chiefs 28.0 points per game, Seahawks 24.7.
- Total offense: Chiefs 421.6 yards per game, Seahawks 352.0.
- Rushing: Chiefs 159.8, Seahawks 107.2.
- Passing: Chiefs 261.8, Seahawks 244.8.
- Points allowed: Chiefs 16.6, Seahawks 20.3.
- Yards allowed: Seahawks 252.8, Chiefs 312.8.

Seattle's defense has allowed the fewest yards of the two, especially through the air at 156.8 passing yards a game. Kansas City has the better offense and the stingier scoring defense.

## Key storylines

1. Walker vs. the Seattle front. Walker is averaging over six yards a carry. The Chiefs run for nearly 160 yards a game, and that is how a road team takes the crowd out of it.

2. Smith-Njigba vs. a questionable Sneed. Smith-Njigba has 717 yards and 7 touchdowns. If Sneed can't go, the Chiefs need a plan for him on every snap.

3. Darnold's turnovers. Seven interceptions in six games. Kansas City's defense, allowing 16.6 points a game, will have chances.

4. Mahomes without Rice. With Rice out, Kelce and the run game have to carry more of the passing load. Seattle's pass defense has been excellent.

5. Perfect run under the lights. Kansas City takes its perfect run under the lights on national TV, on the road at an open-air stadium.

## Our pick

Seattle's pass defense makes this harder than the records suggest. But Kansas City runs the ball better, protects the ball better, and allows fewer points. The Chiefs stay perfect.

Our pick (prediction, not a result): Chiefs win by seven, 27 to 20.

Sources: ESPN game page · NFL.com Week 7 injury report · NFL.com Week 7 schedule