The 2026 season didn’t start the way the Seattle Seahawks and their fans had hoped, with the offense struggling with turnovers on the heels of a 2025 season that saw the team hoist the Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX.
Consecutive losses to the division rival San Francisco 49ers and former division rival Denver Broncos have Seattle at 3-3, the eighth best record in the NFC. Of course, since only the top seven teams make the postseason, that will leave the Seahawks on the outside looking in as they prepare for a crucial matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
At 5-0 the Chiefs are one of only three undefeated teams in the NFL, as their offense has been revived thanks to a return to health for Patrick Mahomes and the little-discussed addition of Kenneth Walker as a free agent in the offseason.
Walker led the NFL in rushing yards through the first six weeks of 2026, even though Kansas City already had a bye week, meaning they played just five games. Averaging 133 rushing yards per game, Walker is set to face a defense that hasn’t allowed a hundred-yard rusher since October 27, 2024.
However, while Walker will face a Seattle run defense that has played at an elite level so far in 2026, it’s a group that is far from healthy, particularly the front seven.
Starting linebacker Drake Thomas missed the Week 6 game against the Broncos and did not participate in Thursday’s practice, while Demarcus Lawrence and Uchenna Nwosu were both limited Thursday. Lawrence left practice on Wednesday as a veteran rest day, but had a knee injury listed on the injury report for Thursday, while Nwosu is now dealing with a hip issue according to the report.
Depth at linebacker can be assessed, as backups Tyrice Knight, Chazz Surratt and Connor O’Toole are also listed in the report. Those three haven’t contributed much on defense so far this year, but they’ve been mainstays on special teams units, which is something to keep in mind if the game is going to stay close and come down to special teams.
In good news, Zach Charbonnet, Anthony Bradford and Rashid Shaheed are fully engaged for the offense, which could help a struggling Sam Darnold against a Kansas City defense that is second in the NFL in points allowed thanks to a stout run defense, the ability to hit the quarterback and force turnovers.
And now it’s on Friday’s injury report.