Four Takeaways From the Chiefs' 24-10 Win Over the Seahawks
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The Kansas City Chiefs came into their Christmas Eve matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on the heels of consecutive wins that were much closer than they needed to be. On Saturday, the script was flipped a little bit.
Andy Reid's team was on a mission early in the afternoon, getting out to a lead and never surrendering it for the remainder of the contest. That, in conjunction with an impressive performance from Steve Spagnuolo's defense (more on that later), was more than enough for the home team to secure a 24-10 victory. With the win, the Chiefs rise to 12-3 on the season and force the Seahawks to below .500 for the first time since Week 5.
Here are four takeaways from Saturday's game.
1. Kansas City's defense was exceptional
The Chiefs' defense has caught a lot of criticism in recent weeks, and for good reason. Steve Spagnuolo's unit wasn't tackling well, lacked grit and was getting gashed pretty routinely. That competitive edge was back in a major way early on in Week 16, as the Seahawks didn't log a first-down conversion until more than seven minutes had elapsed in the second quarter.
Kansas City held Seattle to 98 total yards and 3.3 yards per play in the first half and put on a tackling display all afternoon. The 2022 rookie class also made multiple notable plays, with the likes of Trent McDuffie, Leo Chenal and Jaylen Watson getting much-needed stops. The Seahawks were shorthanded, sure, but this performance deserves respect nonetheless.
2. Special shoutouts to individual defensive players
First-round pick George Karlaftis made his presence felt in the first half against the Seahawks, ending a drive with a batted pass and also recording a sack on Geno Smith. It was the fourth sack in five games for the Purdue product who is clearly beginning to come into his own. At the second level of the defense, Willie Gay Jr. was clearly the Chiefs' best linebacker on Saturday and made multiple eye-popping tackles with aggression. In the secondary, L'Jarius Sneed did an admirable job against DK Metcalf and also continued to serve as one of the best tackling cornerbacks in the sport. The entire Chiefs defense showed up, but several individuals managed to stand out.
3. Special teams giveth and taketh away
On a positive note, Harrison Butker kicked a 47-yard field goal right down the middle and didn't miss a single extra point. After a tumultuous week from a snap, hold and kick standpoint, perhaps things are on the mend. On a more critical note, Dave Toub's special teams unit once again had several shortcomings in other areas. Poor kickoff coverage on a return in the first quarter gave the Seahawks some favorable field position, Tommy Townsend had a 22-yard punt in the first half and the coverage team also kicked a ball on a separate punt. Playoff games are often won by slim margins, and Toub's reputation as a top-shelf special teams coach can only last so long if his group keeps making at least one noticeable error a week.
4. Patrick Mahomes should be the MVP
Patrick Mahomes's Week 16 box score wasn't anything crazy (16-for-28 with 224 passing yards and two touchdowns), but he played mistake-free football and did exactly what the Chiefs needed him to do. Reid didn't help him much from a personnel/formation standpoint and some lackluster pass protection at times also worked against him. On top of that, multiple drops made things more difficult than necessary. That, combined with a highlight-reel touchdown run to put the game on ice, helped seal the deal on the 2022-2023 NFL MVP race. Jalen Hurts didn't play at all, Josh Allen wasn't good and Joe Burrow tossed two interceptions. Barring a Mahomes collapse in either of the next two weeks, the race is over.
