One team already clinched a postseason berth and is playing for a first-round bye in the playoffs, while the other is scratching to reach the playoffs during the final three weeks of the regular season. The Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks are in different positions, but this is a meaningful game for both sides.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs sealed a seventh straight AFC West title with a road victory over the Houston Texans last week. The 11-3 Chiefs are currently the No. 2 seed in the AFC and still have work to do to pass the Buffalo Bills (11-3), who hold a tiebreaker for the top seed.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks have lost four of their last five games, and at 7-7 have an uphill climb to reach the postseason. The last time these two teams met was Week 16 of the 2018 season, a 38-31 win at Seattle. However, the Seahawks have not won in Kansas City since 1999 and are 0-4 in their last four games in Kansas City.
Weather will also be a factor, with temperature expected to be in the teens at Arrowhead Stadium.
“We are playing a terrific football team with tons of documented success, star players, star power — all of that — and a fantastic coach,” Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said this week. “They just won their division too, so they are flying.
“It’s a great opportunity for us. This is the chance to see arguably the best of the AFC, so we are going to take our shot and see if we can play a good football game and do the things that we need to do.”
Here are four burning questions as these former AFC West rivals match up on Saturday:
Nick says his Chiefs are likely ‘not as good as he thought’
The Chiefs clinched the AFC West with their dramatic late win over the Houston Texans, while the Seahawks have lost three of their last four games. However, Nick Wright is concerned about betting on his Chiefs when they have not covered in the past month.
Can the Seahawks stop the run?
The Seahawks have given up 201.6 rushing yards on average in their last five games. Seattle showed some improvement stopping the run in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers last week before Jordan Mason popped a 55-yard run to seal the win for his team at the end of the game.
Seattle’s struggles against the run have been due to a combination of things, including injuries to defensive tackles up front, missed assignments in protecting run gaps and just poor tackling overall as a defense.
It might not be as glaring of an issue going up against the Chiefs, who average 120 rushing yards per contest, No. 16 in the NFL. However, the Chiefs rushed for 189 yards in an overtime win over the Houston Texans last week.
Can the Seahawks slow down Kansas City’s high-powered offense?
Mahomes leads the league in passing yards (4,496) and passing touchdowns (35). And Kansas City leads the NFL in scoring, averaging 30 points a contest.
Seattle has two Pro Bowlers in the secondary in rookie Tariq Woolen and safety Quandre Diggs. But the Seahawks allow 6.82 yards per passing play, No. 21 in the NFL.
The key for Seattle will be how much pressure their defensive front can generate against the Chiefs. Uchenna Nwosu leads the Seahawks with nine sacks. However, Seattle has just three sacks in the last two games.
Will receiver Mecole Hardman return this week?
Placed on injured reserve back in November with an abdomen injury, Hardman has missed the last six games. Designated to return last week, Hardman has been working to regain weight and was hopeful to play this weekend against Seattle. However, Kansas City head coach Andy Reid said he needs to see more from Hardman and talk to the team’s medical staff before making the decision to activate the speedy receiver, putting his availability into question for Saturday.
Before his injury, Hardman totaled 25 catches for 297 yards and six total touchdowns in eight games, including five starts. The Chiefs have done a nice job of spreading the ball around to several playmakers in Hardman’s absence. If healthy, Hardman adds another dimension to Kansas City’s offense with his explosive playmaking ability as a runner, receiver and returner.
Will the Chiefs take better care of the football?
An Achilles heel for the Chiefs has been their ability to take care of the football. Even though they have one of the best records in the NFL, Kansas City has a minus-6 turnover differential. The Chiefs’ 21 giveaways is tied for the fourth-worst mark in the NFL.
Seattle has 21 takeaways this season, so perhaps the Seahawks can steal a couple possessions from the Chiefs to make the game close on the road.
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Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.
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