Most Important Lesson Chiefs Must Learn From Seahawks

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Longtime Chiefs observers will remember Knile Davis.

A 5-11, 227-pound running back, Davis made his mark in Kansas City not from his ability to generate rushing yards, but his knack for changing games on special teams.

He did just that to open the Chiefs’ 30-0 win at Houston in the 2015 playoffs, returning the initial kickoff 106 yards for a touchdown. It was his third kickoff-return touchdown in a Chiefs uniform. And until last Sunday in Seattle, it was the last time an NFL player opened a postseason game with return touchdown.

Time and time again in 2025, from Patrick Mahomes to Chris Jones, the Chiefs vowed to learn from their losses.

At one point, learning from losses became so cliché that the room wondered whether the team knew its historic streak of playoff berths was history.

Take some of the burden off the offense

But there’s one critical lesson the Chiefs can learn from Seattle’s 2025 run: Don’t let the offense score all your points.

lawrenc — Nov 9, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (0) celebrates after recovering a fumble to score a touchdown during the second quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Seattle led the NFL during the regular season with six non-offensive touchdowns. The Seahawks added another to open their postseason, Rashid Shaheed’s game-opening 95-yard kickoff return against the 49ers last week. Seattle this season is 7-0 when recording a non-offensive touchdown.

And in an incredibly even series over the last four meetings, those non-offensive TDs could be the difference in Sunday’s NFC championship game against the Rams (5:30 p.m. CT, FOX).

Heading into Sunday’s NFC Championship Game, here’s how the Rams and Seahawks have fared in their last four matchups: pic.twitter.com/QwMvio5PCS
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 22, 2026

Opposite end of spectrum was in Kansas City

Kansas City, meanwhile, was the NFL’s only team without a non-offensive score in 2025.

That fact is jaw-dropping considering that since 2013 -- when Reid took the reins of the Chiefs -- Kansas City had led the NFL in total non-offensive touchdowns during that period (57, including playoffs).

cook, kelc — Nov 5, 2023; Frankfurt, Germany, ; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) congratulates safety Bryan Cook (6) after scoring a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins in the second quarter during an NFL International Series game at Deutsche Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Chiefs generated only 14 takeaways all season – tied for fourth-fewest in the NFL. Kansas City recovered only four fumbles in 2025, tied for the second fewest in the league. And to make matters worse, Kansas City dropped 10 interceptions. Any of those could’ve wound up scoring.

All of that compounded the Chiefs’ league-worst 1-9 record in one-score games. Seattle certainly serves as an important template for Kansas City’s defense and special teams with regard to breaking those shackles that severely limited the Chiefs this past season.

The Chiefs weren’t just a losing team in 2025; they were abysmal after their bye week. Kansas City dropped eight of its last nine games, including six in a row to close the year.

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