Kenneth Walker’s Revenge Game III didn’t go as planned. The Seattle Seahawks defense dominated in a 20-3 victory over the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs in a Sunday nightstand, holding Patrick Mahomes and Walker, who won Super Bowl MVP for the Seahawks in February, to their lowest passing and rushing totals of the season, respectively. After losing two straight games, Seattle earned its best win of the season and is now just two games behind the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West. “I’m really proud of our team,” Seahawks coach Mike MacDonald said after the game. “Stay strong in the face of adversity, that’s what we do. We find solutions.” The Seahawks defense was the story. Mahomes was limited to just 165 yards through the air. He threw with no touchdowns and one interception. Meanwhile, Walker was even more limited. He entered Sunday’s game leading the NFL in rushing yards and yards per carry (minimum 30 carries) and tied for third most rushing touchdowns. Against his former team, Walker rushed just 14 times for 36 yards and no touchdowns. He had rushed for at least 115 yards in four of the Chiefs’ first five games, and his previous season-low total was 70. Walker left the field after the loss without greeting his former teammates. The Seahawks ultimately held Kansas City to their fewest total yards, first downs and red zone drives in any Mahomes start, while the Chiefs’ three points also tied their lowest output in any Mahomes start, according to NFL researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno. “Our guys played very well,” MacDonald said when asked about his defense. “They are simply a group of warriors.” He added: “How can we not welcome those guys?” Said Chiefs coach Andy Reid of his offense: “We’ll go back to the drawing board.” The victory was a much-needed breakthrough for Seattle, which has had an up-and-down season in defense of its Super Bowl victory. The Seahawks won their first two games before losing three of their last four. However, their losses have been close, as all three came in with a combined eight points. Kansas City’s three points were the fewest by a Seattle opponent this season. And on the other side of the ball, quarterback Sam Darnold had one of his best performances of the year. After throwing two interceptions in three of the last four weeks (all in losses), Darnold threw for 257 yards, one touchdown and just one interception Sunday night. He was helped greatly by receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had nine catches for 150 yards and a score. And in an ironic twist, the Seahawks had one of their best rushing performances of the season. Seattle ran the ball 41 times for 153 yards, its second-highest total on the ground this season. Running back Emanuel Wilson ran for 100 yards, the first time a Seahawks player reached the 100-yard mark since Walker did it in the Super Bowl. Seattle is now 4-3 with two straight home games over the next two weeks. The Chiefs fell to 5-1, scoring fewer than 22 points for the first time this year. Mahomes never looked in sync, while his receivers failed to create separation against one of the league’s best secondaries. Of Mahomes’ 19 completions, 11 went to Walker and tight ends. “You have to feel it. This sucks,” Mahomes said of the overall performance. Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III is tackled by the Seahawks’ Leonard Williams, Uchenna Nwosu and Tyrice Knight. Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images Kicker Harrison Butker didn’t help the cause, missing two field goal attempts, one of which would have made the game 13-6 in the fourth quarter. “We have to do better in all three phases,” Reid said. “I take full responsibility for this.” Kansas City’s offense will need to rebound quickly as it faces another great defense in the Denver Broncos in Week 8. Meanwhile, the Seahawks will be tested again on Nov. 2 when they host the Chicago Bears (5-2), who have averaged 30.8 points in quarterback Caleb Williams’ four starts.
