The Kansas City Chiefs received a massive beating from the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7. Arguably, it was the worst regular-season showing they have had in the Patrick Mahomes era. It is going to lead to a down feeling for most of the week for Chiefs fans.
But even as bad as the numbers, eye test, and energy were from Sunday night, there are still some positives one can point to. Here are four silver linings from Kansas City's miserable showing in Seattle.
Chiefs avoid a costly loss in AFC playoff race
Some people may scoff at this first silver lining. It was a horrible loss. The Chiefs were not very competitive against a top Super Bowl contender. But this point means much more after how Kansas City's down season went during 2025.
The first loss coming to an NFC opponent does not drastically affect the playoff race in their own conference whatsoever. Let's look back at the Chiefs' status against the AFC in 2025. Amazingly, nine of K.C.'s 11 losses from last season came against AFC opponents.
Sure, the last few games were a bit of a wash. You had no Mahomes because of injury. The Chiefs were already eliminated from playoff contention. But even before that ailment or those meaningless games occurred, Kansas City still failed to provide any punch against top conference opponents. They have a much better mark there to open 2026, including a 3-0 record against the division.
Red zone defense kept the Seahawks from running away
The Seahawks could have made things more of a blowout much earlier on Sunday night. Part of the reason they did not was due to the Chiefs' defense standing tall in the red zone against Seattle's offense.
Seattle finished with zero touchdowns on three total red zone trips. Kansas City was even gifted a major opportunity when Sam Darnold threw a bad end-zone interception to Nohl Williams at the end of the first half. Williams' effort gave the Chiefs a shot at cutting it to a one-score game at halftime. However, Harrison Butker's miss ended a painful half.
If the Chiefs continue to be staunch on red zone defense, that can lead to predictable play-calling from the opposing offense. Then K.C. just has to execute.
Young cornerbacks continue to prove their worth
Mansoor Delane was beaten a couple of times by Jaxon Smith-Njigba. But those were a mix of perfect throws or excellent grabs with Delane's hand near the ball. And cornerback is a position where you are eventually going to get beaten from time to time.
The important thing? Delane still came away from this game with an impressive pass breakup, five total tackles, and a tackle for loss. On the other side, Nohl Williams continues to stack positive games together. He had 10 total tackles and a tackle for loss. Williams tallied a pass defended as well. His aforementioned interception seemed to be a boost for a moment.
There is no denying the Chiefs can coach up stellar outside cornerback play year after year. And it is vital that Delane and Williams have started this season as well as they have. With L'Jarius Sneed struggling and the safety play being up and down, who knows where this secondary would be without the play of the outside cornerbacks? It was not a perfect night from Delane and Williams. But their progress elevates Kansas City's ceiling on defense.
Chiefs escape Seattle without another major injury
Nick Bolton got dinged up and came out for a brief second against the Seahawks. The linebacker appeared no worse for wear and still made crunching hits against Seattle running backs not named Emanuel Wilson.
Not suffering any other major injuries is a plus for the Chiefs after a beatdown of a loss. Kansas City is hoping to see Rashee Rice back soon. The Josh Simmons situation is what it is at this point. But for the time being, the Chiefs are not being forced to dig deeper into their depth chart because of new ailments. That helps when you are about to face a division rival like the Denver Broncos.
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