The Kansas City Chiefs (11-3) are preparing to face the Seattle Seahawks (7-7) for the first time since 2018. Kansas City is looking to keep pace in the AFC playoffs race in hopes of securing the No. 1 seed, while their opponent is looking to keep their hopes alive.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid, QB Patrick Mahomes and LB Nick Bolton spoke to the media on Tuesday, weighing in on some of what they’ve seen from Seattle so far this season. There appears to be a lot of respect among the head coach and players for their upcoming opponent.
Here’s a quick look at what each of them had to say about the Seahawks:
Andy Reid on Geno Smith, Kenneth Walker
“Yeah, sure. I’ve always been a (Seahawks QB) Geno (Smith) fan. I like his game. I like the kid. We brought him in here, smart kid. He’s had this career that’s been up and down, but he’s in a good place now. I know (Seahawks Head Coach) Pete (Carroll) is using him and he’s doing very well. And the runner (Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III), he’s a heck of a player now, the young runner that they’ve got. You’ve got to make sure you wrap him up. He brings a load with him too so, (he’s a) good player.”
There’s probably an alternate universe out there where the Chiefs wind up with Geno Smith instead of Eric Fisher in 2013. It’s interesting to hear Andy Reid bring that meeting with Smith up when first talking about Seattle. Reid only talked about the offense here and not necessarily the defense that his offense will be facing.
Patrick Mahomes on Geno Smith
“Yeah, I mean he gets – first off, every throw he throws is like a perfect spiral. I know that gets taken for granted in this league. But, he throws a perfect spiral every throw. He’s getting those receivers going. They have two great receivers with a lot of other guys too that have a lot of speed. And so, he’s able to get those receivers going and take the shots from there, but take the underneath. And they’ve had a lot of young guys step up. And so, (Seahawks QB) Geno’s (Smith) done a great job of taking advantage of what’s there. And that’s why he’s had such a great season.”
The Seattle media certainly liked Mahomes’ sound bite on every throw of Smith’s being a perfect spiral. Mahomes seems to have respect for Smith’s ability to take shot plays this season, but also the game management aspect of taking what’s there. That’s something that the former league MVP has been working on himself.
Patrick Mahomes on Seahawks defense
“I think the biggest thing is they have a lot of talented, young players. First of all, they have the linebacker, 56, from Texas Tech (Seahawks LB Jordyn Brooks) – I’m just saying (laughter). He’s like leading the league in tackles, so he’s a great player to have in the middle there. And then they have the young corner – also from Texas – that is leading the league in interceptions (Seahawks CB Tariq Woolen). So, they got a lot of young, talented players that play very hard. (Seahawks Head) Coach (Pete) Carroll, every one of his teams is going to play extremely hard. And they’re fighting for a playoff spot, so they’re going to be a great challenge for us to go out there and try to find a way to get a win.”
Mahomes couldn’t help himself from shouting out another Texas Tech alumnus. Brooks is definitely the centerpiece of that young defense they have there, but Tariq Woolen is the up-and-coming star. Mahomes will likely be avoiding throwing into his coverage unless absolutely necessary.
Nick Bolton on Seahawks offense
“They’re explosive, man. They’ve got a rookie running back (Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III) from Michigan State. That guy’s a ball player, man. I’ve kind of watched his tape a lot. I watched him a lot when he was in college and then watched him a lot these past couple of days and he’s a good football player along with (Seahawks WR) DK Metcalf, on the outside, (Seahawks WR) Tyler Lockett and (Seahawks QB) Geno’s (Smith) done a hell of a job – especially boot legs, getting out in perimeter (and) extending plays with his legs. Again, they’ve got a great offense, great challenge for us.”
Bolton clearly has a ton of respect for what Seattle is doing on the offensive side of the ball this year. There is a lot that he’s preparing himself for, be it the talented rookie running back or the play-action pass on bootlegs.
