Five Non-Division Chiefs Rivalries

Seattle Seahawks

While they aren’t division rivals currently, the Chiefs and Seahawks were once competitors in the same division. From 1977 to 2001, both teams were part of the AFC West. In 2002, the Seahawks moved over to the NFC West, the division they were actually apart of during the expansion franchise’s first season in 1976.

Seattle and Kansas City have met 51 times. The Chiefs have a big lead in the all-time series with a 33-18 record. While the two were members of the AFC West, the Seahawks won the division twice, in 1988 and 1999. The Chiefs hold the edge on that front as well, winning the division three times in that span of time (1993, 1995, 1997).

Probably the most memorable battle the two teams had while division rivals took place on November 11, 1990. That was the day the Chiefs’ Derrick Thomas broke the NFL record for most sacks in a single game. The Hall of Famer sacked Seattle QB Dave Krieg seven times, but the potential eighth would have been the most important. Krieg was able to break a Thomas sack and throw a 25-yard TD strike to Paul Skansi, which propelled the Seahawks to a close 17-16 victory.

Since Seattle parted from the division, the two teams have only met three times. All three of those games were won by the Chiefs, including the most recent game in 2014 which Kansas City won 24-20. After that Chiefs victory, the Seahawks, who were the defending Super Bowl champions, would only lose once more during the regular season and went on to be NFC champions for the second consecutive season.