Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba scores a touchdown past Chiefs cornerback Mansoor Delane Sunday at Lumen Field in Seattle. (Getty Images)
Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba scores a touchdown past Chiefs cornerback Mansoor Delane Sunday at Lumen Field in Seattle. (Getty Images)
SEATTLE – So much for the demise of the Seahawks.
After two losses in five days led to some hard talks among the Seahawks and a lot of talk from the outside that their hopes of winning another Super Bowl might already be over, they responded with its best effort of the season to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 20-3.
The win, coupled with a 29-20 loss by the 49ers (6-1) earlier in the day at Atlanta, got the Seahawks — who are 4-3 — right back in the NFC West race.
Maybe more importantly, the Seahawks made a statement about the kind of team they can still be, especially when they aren’t committing self-inflicted errors.
The Seahawks held a Kansas City offense that came into the game averaging 6.7 yards per play — best in the NFL — to just 213 yards.
That included holding former teammate Kenneth Walker III — who came into the game averaging 133 yards per game and 6.3 per carry — to just 36 yards on 14 carries, 2.6 yards per carry.
That continued the Seahawks’ streak of holding opposing rushers under 100 yards to 36 games and more than two calendar years.
It was only the fourth time a team quarterbacked by Patrick Mahomes was held under 10 points and only the second time they were held to three points.
Offensively, the Seahawks appeared to find a template for a successful attack to address their running game woes — a lot of quick passes by Sam Darnold and some well-timed deep shots to Jaxon Smith-Njigba on the rare times the Chiefs guarded him with just one defender.
Smith-Njigba continued his historic pace to the season with nine catches for 150 yards, including six for 129 yards and a touchdown in the first half.
Darnold was efficient save for one pass — an interception in the end zone in the final seconds of the first half when he was pressured and tried to hit Smith-Njigba in the back of the end zone.
Otherwise, Darnold well executed the scheme of first-year offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, who after seeing Darold get hit 17 times in a loss to Denver, called for a lot of passes in which Darnold had little time to do anything but throw quickly to a receiver close to the line of scrimmage.
Darnold completed 20 of 28 passes for 257 yards and a touchdown.
Kansas City’s last gasp to make it a game ended when Harrison Butker missed a 45-yard field goal with 8:33 remaining in the game, keeping the Seahawks ahead 13-3.
The Seahawks moved deliberately down the field to the K.C. 21 where on a third-and-four play Emanuel Wilson burst over the left side for a 21-yard TD to put the Seahawks ahead 20-3 with 3:47 remaining and end the suspense and also give Wilson ?? yards on ?? carries, more than double Walker.
Seattle appeared on the verge of taking a commanding 17-0 lead at halftime when Darnold hit Smith-Njigba for a 28-yard gain to the 2-yard line with 23 seconds remaining, the second long reception he had made when matched up against KC rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane.
But after George Holani was dropped for a one-yard loss, Darnold dropped back and after being pressured tried to hit Smith-Njigba in the back of the end zone.
Instead, the off-target pass fell into the hands of KC cornerback Nohl Williams, who then found some room and returned it to the Seattle 44, appearing briefly as if he might be able to turn it into a pick six before Seahawks left tackle Charles Cross tracked him down.
Walker gained four on the next play but that was not enough for Butker, whose attempt in the north end zone came up short.
That kept Seattle ahead by two possessions.