In Week 16 the Kansas City Chiefs return home after a three-game road trip to host the Seattle Seahawks.
It wasn’t an easy road trip for Kansas City as it lost to the Cincinnati Bengals and beat the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans by six points each. However, at the end of the day, the Chiefs are 11-3 and the No. 2 seed in the AFC with a shot at the No. 1 seed if the Buffalo Bills slip up.
As for the Seahawks, they are in a slump as they have lost four of their last five games, including their last two. They are currently on the outside looking in on the NFC playoffs, trailing the Washington Commanders by a half-game.
Let’s take a closer look at this matchup and see what it will take for the Chiefs to keep rolling.
Chiefs' defense vs. Seahawks' offense
Shane Waldron is the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator and play-caller. His offense is multiple and among the league leaders in shotgun and pistol formation use. This allows the quarterback to see the field more clearly when making his reads and the running backs to hit the line of scrimmage with a head of steam.
Quarterback Geno Smith is enjoying a career resurgence in 2022, ranking first in the NFL in completion percentage and seventh in passing yards. He has done a great job of utilizing his two big weapon receivers in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, both of whom rank in the top 20 in receiving yards.
Unfortunately for Lockett, he broke his finger last week and will not play in this game. That’s a pretty big blow for Seattle as Lockett has been its most consistent playmaker this season. This will put more burden on Metcalf, who is a matchup nightmare at 6-foot-4 with 4.3 40-yard dash speed.
The Seahawks will also look to veteran receiver Marquise Goodwin to step up, who may not still have the 4.2 speed that he had in his heyday but is still a deep threat. Noah Fant and Will Dissly make up one of the better tight end duos in the league, combining for 744 receiving yards and six touchdowns on the season.
Seattle is no slouch running the football either, ranking 10th in the NFL in yards per carry average. Rookie Kenneth Walker III is already developing into one of the most complete running backs in the league with a rare combination of speed and power who can also catch the ball.
One area that the Chiefs’ defense can exploit is the Seahawks’ offensive line. Both of their tackles are rookies and Austin Blythe (former Chief) is the third-lowest graded center in the league per Pro Football Focus. Seattle has struggled to run block over the past several weeks and Geno Smith has been sacked the sixth-most times among all QBs.
Chiefs' offense vs. Seahawks' defense
Head coach Pete Carroll and first-year defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt run the Seattle defense. Carroll has been a defensive genius throughout his career, from his time at USC to his early days in Seattle, creating the “Legion of Boom.” At its core, it is a base 4-3 with single-high coverages (Cover 3 and Cover 1) in the secondary.
To keep things fresh Carroll and Hurtt have evolved their defense and actually run more 3-4 nowadays. It’s been a tough transition, however, as it seems much of the Seahawks’ defensive personnel is still more of a fit for the 4-3. The front seven has struggled mightily as Seattle ranks 31st in run defense.
The Seahawks have allowed at least 100 rushing yards in six-straight games. Last week the San Fransisco 49ers ran for 170 yards against them and Las Vegas Raiders’ running back Josh Jacobs rushed for a 2022 league-high 229 yards on the Seattle defense.
Last week the Chiefs rushed for a season-high 189 yards against a poor Texans’ run defense. It makes sense that they would want to carry that momentum over against the Seahawks, especially since this game will be played in artic-like temperatures. Isiah Pacheco and Jerrick McKinnon have become one of the best 1-2 punch running back tandems in the NFL.
Back in the Seahawks’ secondary, they rank in the middle of the pack in pass defense at 17th. They have a great safety duo in Quandre Diggs, who is a two-time Pro Bowler, and Ryan Neal, who is PFF’s No. 1 ranked safety. It should be interesting to see how Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce matches up with Diggs and Neal.
Seattle has talent at cornerback, but also inexperience with rookies Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant as well as third-year man Mike Jackson. Expect Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes to test the young Seattle corners, but he’ll have to be leery of Diggs and Neal roaming the field.
