SEATTLE — If there’s been one point of the Seattle Seahawks’ team that’s been relatively safe from harsh criticism in the underwhelming 3-3 start to the 2026 NFL season, it’s been the defense.
The unit came into Sunday night’s bout with the 5-0 Kansas City Chiefs allowing the fewest yards per play (4.0) in the league, along with the best quarterback knockdown rate, a year after finishing as the league’s top scoring defense with a Lombardi Trophy to boot.
But dealing with a familiar face — Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III, the NFL’s leading rusher this season, who left Seattle in free agency — and a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Patrick Mahomes, Seattle didn’t blink.
The Seahawks held Walker to just 36 rushing yards and had six different rushers hit Mahomes, keeping him off-balance all night on a 19-for-33 day for just 165 yards, no touchdowns and an interception to safety Ty Okada. Linebacker Derick Hall forced Mahomes to fumble at one point in the third quarter by hitting him from behind, with Kansas City recovering and converting its lone field goal a play later.
Seattle’s “Dark Side” defense, which didn’t even allow Mahomes and Co. into the red zone, wasn’t satisfied.
“I know the defense, a lot of dudes were upset that we didn’t give (the Chiefs) zero,” Seattle defensive back Nick Emmanwori said. “That was our goal, give them zero… we definitely could’ve accomplished that, but that just says what type of defense we are.”
“That’s our goal: shut you down, shut your lights out. So I think that’s big ups to the defense today,” linebacker Ernest Jones IV added.
To that sentiment, Kansas City had entered Sunday averaging 28 points per game and over 400 yards per contest. Seattle allowed just 213 yards. Walker was averaging a league-best 133 yards per game, competing with Seattle star WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the early Offensive Player of the Year race. But Seattle’s edges in Hall (sack, two QB hits, forced fumble, tackle for loss) and Demarcus Lawrence (two tackles) contained the perimeter to keep the dynamic back to his worst showing of 2026.
With September NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month Kahlil Benson managing left tackle and reserve Joshua Ezeudu (11 starts in four NFL seasons) at right tackle thanks to offensive-line injuries, the Seahawks knew they had an advantage in experience out wide. They limited cutback lanes by winning 1-on-1 battles all over the field, but those two tackles were a focal point.
“That was most definitely in our scouting report,” defensive tackle Byron Murphy II told The Herald postgame. “When you see stuff like that, as a defense, or as a team, you got to take advantage of that. You got to try to attack them guys, and that’s exactly what we did.”
Despite the respect the team has for Walker, who was praised as a great teammate all week in the lead-up to Sunday’s showdown, the defense found motivation in extending their franchise record of not allowing a 100-yard rusher to 36 games. Doing it against a dangerous Walker only made the achievement sweeter.
“I definitely did want to hold (Walker) under 100 (rushing yards), Emmanwori said. “That was my motivation. I know a lot of dudes on the defense, that was their motivation too, to stop him under 100.”
On the other end was a Seahawks offense criticized primarily for QB Sam Darnold’s interception issues and its turnover woes.
Darnold was decisive on Sunday, targeting Jaxon Smith-Njigba (nine catches, 150 yards, TD) primarily in a 20-for-28, 257-yard game with a TD and an interception. Running back Emanuel Wilson also scored late to close the game out on a 100-yard day on the ground as Seattle hit over 400 total yards of offense.
In two of Seattle’s losses to Washington and San Francisco, Darnold and the offense surrendered field position to give up 21 points off their turnovers in each game. In last Thursday’s loss at Denver, Darnold threw an overtime interception to set up the Broncos’ walk-off game-winning field goal.
But Darnold got the ball out of his hands quicker on Sunday night, as the offense got to the line earlier in the play clock to give him time to read KC’s coverage. In the end, Seattle punted just two times and won the time of possession battle with nearly 36 minutes of offense.
The key to it all? An 11-for-16 night on third down to keep the defense resting on the sideline.
“Overall, just a better performance from us,” Darnold said. “Really, defense man, the way that they played all night, it was awesome to watch. And the way that we were able to stay on the field too as an offense too was huge.”
Head coach Mike Macdonald praised his squad for dealing with the outside criticism that came with losing three of its last four games — a majority of which was pointed at a struggling offensive unit.
“There’s probably as much noise as they’ve heard in a while,” Macdonald said. “It didn’t really affect our operation.”
Seattle, however, disrupted Kansas City’s operation play-in and play-out.
Though the Seahawks sacked Mahomes just once — the escape artist often threw balls away or evaded multiple sack attempts in a single play — the “Dark Side” affected his decision-making. They did so most notably in the second quarter, when Mahomes rolled left with plenty of space and time to look downfield.
That is until Emmanwori came screaming up the middle of the offensive line to force Mahomes to speed up his clock. Emmanwori hit a ruffled Mahomes as he threw, and his errant pass found the waiting hands of Okada to force KC’s sole live-ball turnover of the night.
Emmanwori, who lines up at defensive end, nickel, linebacker and safety from time to time, has made pass rushing out of delayed or spy looks a routine part of his game.
“Usually people don’t chase (Mahomes) down, and he usually outruns people; that’s what they were saying on the sideline. But, you know, knowing my speed… right when I see him pull the ball (to run), I was like, ‘Oh man it’s on,’” Emmanwori said. “Forced him into a bad throw.”
It was indicative of a Seahawks defense that flowed to the ball all night, forcing the Chiefs to think twice every down.
Veteran defensive tackle Jarran Reed is in year nine as a Seahawk and has been a part of units like the 2023 squad that finished second-to-last in rush yards allowed. So when the now Super Bowl champion praises his team, it comes from a place of wisdom and trial by error — along with a timely regime change.
“We know what we’re capable of doing. We’re not surprised by anything. We work hard… We deserve everything.”