Before the Kansas City Chiefs even took the field in Seattle to battle the Seahawks, most figured it would be a trying night for one of football's last undefeated teams. That certainly proved to be the case in Week 7, as head coach Andy Reid's crew got throttled in prime time.
The hosts came out firing on the Sunday Night Football stage, taking advantage of the visitors' shorthanded offense and also making the most of favorable matchups on the other side of the ball. Kansas City did attempt to snap out of its funk in the second half of play, yet it never got close and wound up dropping a brutal game by a final score of 20-3.
Here are 10 instant observations and Chiefs takeaways from Week 7.
10: A Cyrus Allen sighting right out of the gate... then a disappearance
It feels like forever ago that fifth-round rookie wide receiver Cyrus Allen was dazzling during the summer and becoming a fan-favorite player, but in reality, it's only been a few months. Given the injuries to wideouts Tyquan Thornton (ankle) and Rashee Rice (hamstring), the door was opened for the Cincinnati product to make an impact. After logging a pair of catches for 27 yards in Week 6, he stood out from the jump on Sunday.
On just the second play from scrimmage for Kansas City, Allen hauled in a pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes down the left sideline and gained 18 yards. It was a dead silent half for him the rest of the way, however, which raises questions about his true involvement in the offense. Is Allen a scripted player or a difference-maker?
9: Jaxon Smith-Njigba dominated early and often
Look, it was glaringly obvious that finding a way to slow down someone who came into Week 7 with 49 catches for 717 yards and seven touchdowns would be super difficult. Flat-out stopping the reigning Offensive Player of the Year? Forget about it... which the Chiefs seemed to do at first whistle.
Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba wasn't fair in the opening half of play, routinely burning cornerback L'Jarius Sneed in the slot and even providing first-round rookie Mansoor Delane with two "welcome to the league" moments. He finished the first two quarters with six snags for 129 yards and a touchdown, serving as a walking nightmare for Steve Spagnuolo's defense.
That defense was downright terrible on late downs in this one; JSN was a top force in that unfolding.
8: For one reason or another, Patrick Mahomes was erratic from the onset
It's always difficult having a nuanced dialogue about Mahomes' play. On one hand, he's held to such a high standard by many that it seems fair to point out when he doesn't meet the bar. On the other hand, he rolled into Week 7 without the aforementioned receivers and both of his starting offensive tackles.
There's room to meet in the middle. According to RBSDM, he owned an ugly mark of -0.39 EPA per play in quarters one and two. No. 15 missed plenty of throws on SNF, leaving many of them short and also putting too much mustard on one pass that got picked off. That said, constant duress made his life much more difficult.
7: Kansas City desperately needs improved tackle play
It's impossible to consider Mahomes' shortcomings and not directly jump into the offensive line situation. In our Week 7 preview, we briefly touched on how Kansas City has typically operated a quick-game passing offense and relied on explosive rushes and play-action to help open up the occasional deep shot. With no Jaylon Moore (and with Josh Simmons still out), operating a functional offense seemed far more difficult than it needed to be on Sunday.
Undrafted rookie free agent Kahlil Benson whiffed on multiple occasions, and right tackle Joshua Ezeudu also had his fair share of rough moments. Sure, Reid didn't do a ton to protect his linemen and Mahomes was far from perfect, but this can't be sustained for much longer.
6: The Harrison Butker conversation lives on for another week
After he missed an extra point last week, I opened the floor for there being an active Harrison Butker problem on the Chiefs' hands. He's years removed from producing a season that lives up to his prime, and his variance from long range makes him far from the slam-dunk kicker he used to be. That trend continued into the Seahawks game.
In a vacuum, there's no shame in missing a 58-yard field goal. When Butker left his short to end the first half, though, that sent KC into the break scoreless. He redeemed himself temporarily with a 50-yard connection in the third frame, only to push a 45-yarder midway through the fourth quarter. The more the sample size grows, the worse this looks.
5: Nohl Williams provides a silver lining to close out the first half
Speaking of the Butker miss, that opportunity was only presented due to a brilliant play on the ball by cornerback Nohl Williams on defense. He picked off quarterback Sam Darnold's pass in the end zone and returned it for 64 yards, followed by a run and timeout by the offense. Had Seattle put up seven points on that drive, it would've been far more demoralizing than facing a 10-point deficit.
4: Emmett Johnson made a couple of sneaky-big plays
With the Chiefs driving in the fourth quarter, a drop by receiver Xavier Worthy and a holding penalty on left guard Kingsley Suamataia put the offense in a second-and-20 situation. The following two plays may fade into the void over time, but rookie running back Emmett Johnson's 12-yard catch made third down manageable. He then threw a critical block on a scramble by Mahomes for the first.
Butker wound up missing the 45-yard boot at the end of the drive, but Johnson deserves props for being a gamer when needed.
3: The high-end Xavier Worthy hope can be extinguished (if it hasn't been already)
The unfortunate thing for Worthy is he just recorded seven targets and 70-plus receiving yards in back-to-back games. On the surface, he looked like he was building some significant momentum, and he even acknowledged such this week. Gifted a massive chance to be the X-factor in Week 7, however, he flopped.
It wasn't just the fourth-quarter drop, either. The former first-round pick displayed minimal or no awareness on multiple plays, including one where he ran out of bounds and another in which he failed to throw a block on a reception by running back Kenneth Walker. The latter play could've been the most explosive of the night. Unless he's getting the ball in space and given some runway, Worthy just isn't a huge impact piece.
Anyone hoping for the third-year man to blossom into a WR1 can officially call it. They can likely sell stock on him being a high-end WR2, too, even in KC.
2: Kenneth Walker gets bottled up for the first time all year
Through five games, Walker had fully justified the Chiefs' investment in him and then some. He's been the team's best player to this point and almost singlehandedly transformed the offense from a player standpoint, leading the sport in a variety of statistics on the ground. Citing a lackluster showing in the box score is in no way an indictment on him — it's more of a praise of the home team.
Walker finished Sunday Night Football with 14 carries for a measly 36 yards, throwing him off pace and also ignoring just how hard he had to work for that output. Week 7 wasn't a talent problem for the star halfback, as just about anyone would've failed to thrive in these conditions.
1: All good things must come to an end
At the end of the day, the Chiefs were never going to run the table, even if fully healthy. Considering the circumstances of a lack of health on offense and facing a Super Bowl-caliber team, it shouldn't be a complete and utter shock that the Seahawks looked good. It is a surprise that the Kansas City offense looked so inept.
It's this writer's view that only a handful of teams truly matter at the moment. The Chiefs are still one of them and had to face off against a member of that group on the road in prime time. The sky isn't falling in the slightest, although this is a wake-up call for many.
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