The Kansas City Chiefs will face their toughest test of the young season as they travel for a Sunday night matchup against the defending Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks.
Kansas City remains undefeated at 5-0, while Seattle is 3-3 after two straight losses, but the record doesn’t tell the whole story. The Seahawks possess the NFL’s top defense and remain tough to beat at Lumen Field.
The game will also mark Kenneth Walker III’s first return to Seattle after helping the Seahawks win the Super Bowl last season. Walker now leads the league in rushing and has transformed a Chiefs offense that struggled to run the ball consistently last year.
Here are three keys to the Chiefs’ victory in Week 7.
Offensive key: Stay focused on Kenneth Walker III
Seattle entered the matchup leading in total defense, allowing just 237.3 yards per game. The Seahawks were particularly dominant against the pass, giving up a league-low 141.3 passing yards per game. They also allow 96 rushing yards per game and haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher since October 2024.
Those numbers make this a strength-on-strength matchup.
Walker leads the NFL with 665 rushing yards, 6.3 yards per attempt and 133 rushing yards per game. He also led the league with 52 broken tackles and had seven runs of at least 20 yards.
He continued his outstanding start against the Chargers, rushing for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Now he’s back to face the team he won the championship with less than a year ago.
The Chiefs can’t let Seattle’s early run success push them away from Walker. Some carries may only produce two or three yards, but Andy Reid must remain patient.
Keeping Walker involved will prevent Seattle from making Kansas City one-dimensional. It can also slow the pass rush, create manageable third downs and open up opportunities for Patrick Mahomes in the play-action passing game.
Establishing the run will be particularly important at Lumen Field. Long, sustained drives could quiet the crowd and keep Seattle’s defense from attacking Kansas City’s offensive line in clear passing situations.
The Chiefs don’t necessarily need Walker to extend his 100-yard performance streak. Seattle hasn’t allowed an individual runner to reach that mark in two years. However, Kansas City should aim to finish with at least 100 rushing yards.
Even if explosive runs aren’t immediately available, Walker should remain central to the offensive scheme.
Defensive key: Contains Jaxon Smith-Njigba
The Seahawks have several capable offensive players, but it all starts with Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Through six games, Smith-Njigba is averaging about 11 targets, 8.2 receptions and 120 receiving yards per game. His estimated 35.6% target share is tops in the NFL, which shows just how heavy Seattle’s attack is on him.
The Chiefs are unlikely to completely stop Smith-Njigba. The goal should be to stop him, prevent explosive receptions and force Sam Darnold to constantly look for his secondary options.
Kansas City should be comfortable allowing its outside cornerbacks to challenge Smith-Njigba when he lines up on the perimeter. A tougher assignment will come when Seattle moves him to the slot, where he can avoid press coverage and find favorable matchups against safeties and linebackers.
Steve Spagnuolo will need to change his ranges. That could mean bracketing Smith-Njigba on key downs, rotating the safety toward him after the snap, or using zone coverage to keep multiple defenders between him and the end zone.
The priority is preventing a game-changing reception. Smith-Njigba has the speed and route-running ability to turn a small opening into an explosive play. Kansas City should force Seattle to go on a long drive instead.
The defensive benchmark should be to keep Smith-Njigba under 100 receiving yards and prevent him from catching 30-yard or longer passes.
If the Chiefs can do that, Darnold will have to prove he can patiently work his way up and win by distributing the ball elsewhere.
X-factor: Win the turnover battle
Darnold helped lead Seattle to a championship last season, but has struggled since returning to the starting lineup.
He entered Sunday night with 60.4% completion, 1,033 yards, seven touchdowns, and seven interceptions. His 77.4 passer rating reflects an offense that has been inconsistent and too reliant on Smith-Njigba. Darnold has also been sacked 14 times.
He threw two interceptions in Seattle’s overtime loss to Denver, including fumbles on two of the Seahawks’ final three possessions. When pressured or forced to play from behind, Darnold has created opportunities for defensive tackles.
Kansas City’s pass rush finally converted its pressure into production against Los Angeles. The Chiefs have recorded four sacks after going three consecutive games without one. Chris Jones, George Karlaftis, Ashton Gillotte, Peter Woods, and Chamarri Conner helped take down Justin Herbert.
Karlaftis has been especially disruptive, causing 19 pressures in his last two games.
The Chiefs shouldn’t blitz Darnold on every pass. Spagnuolo can use simulated pressure and late rotation coverage to make Darnold believe the pressure is coming before dropping defenders into his passing lanes.
Kansas City must also protect the football on offense.
Mahomes threw an interception against the Chargers, giving him three this season. Seattle’s defense is too talented for the Chiefs to give it short fields and extra possessions.
The goal should be to force at least two takeaways while committing no more than one turnover. A win by that margin would prevent Seattle’s defense and home crowd from taking control of the game.
The Chiefs don’t have to abandon the identity that got them off to an undefeated start just because they’re facing the NFL’s top defense.
Kansas City should remain committed to Kenneth Walker, even if Seattle limits him early. Defensively, the Chiefs need to contain Jaxon Smith-Njigba, prevent explosive plays and force Sam Darnold to rely on his other weapons. Most importantly, they must force Darnold into mistakes without giving Seattle similar opportunities on the other end.
If the Chiefs reach 100 rushing yards, keep Smith-Njigba under 100 receiving yards, and win the turnover battle, they have a good chance to beat the defending champions, remain undefeated, and leave Seattle with their most impressive win of the season.