Don't let the Seattle Seahawks' .500 record fool you - this is the biggest test the Kansas City Chiefs have faced and may ever face this regular season. The Seahawks just lost back-to-back games for the first time since December 2024. Both times, they lost by a field goal to a strong team on pace to be playoff-bound. They're still allowing the fewest yards per game to their opponents this season, and the move of Kenneth Walker III from Seattle to Kansas City made the Seahawks' #1 receiver shine even more brightly. Thankfully for the Chiefs, they just drafted the exact player to counteract Seattle's emerging superstar.
Mansoor Delane proved himself to be an already-elite shutdown CB in his first five games as a Chief. His current PFF grades rank him sixth out of the 102 qualified cornerbacks in the league. Delane has inarguably been this year's best rookie cornerback by a wide, wide margin. Speaking of wide margins, Jaxon Smith-Njigba leads the NFL with 717 receiving yards, which is 137 more than anyone in the league, in only six games. To put that 137 receiving yards in perspective, please note that the 10 guys below JSN on that list are all within 110 yards of each other.
He's been the league's best receiver by a lot so far, which may be the only thing that keeps Sam Darnold and Seattle's offense productive this season. Even with all that production from their best wide-out, the Seahawks rank 16th league-wide in yards per game. Seattle's defense still allows the league's fewest yards per game to opponents, so the offense doesn't need to be perfect for Seattle to keep being a good overall team. It could limit them against elite competition like the Chiefs, though. As the Seahawks search for their new identity in the wake of losing Kenneth Walker III to free agency, the Chiefs may just be the NFL's best offense since acquiring him.
Kansas City leads the league in yards per game, and K9 leads the league in rushing yards despite already having his bye week. Neither team may have the perfect solution for the other team's MVP-caliber playmaker, but I trust Delane and Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo to limit the damage more than Seattle's admittedly great defense can. That's still the same defense that gave up 33 points and lost to Marcus Mariota a few weeks back. Patrick Mahomes and K9 are a more potent combination than whatever they got going on in Washington. I'm taking the Chiefs in a tough 19-16 victory.
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