The days are getting shorter in the Pacific Northwest. Rain has started to fall. It is the gloomy period that keeps most people away from this region, and what makes it lush with vibrant green forests and endless rivers and lakes. What scares others, draws us here. Making it through your first Seattle fall and winter is a test many do not pass. Those who do, are granted passage to something truly special. A shared secret, that only those who cherish a sweater or hoodie as much as a swimsuit would understand. People here endure the gloom to enjoy the best of what this planet has to offer. Mike Macdonald’s ode to Seattle came in his first team speech in 2024, “It’s shitty for them. It’s just right for us.” The Seahawks recaptured that sentiment on a clear autumn night against the franchise with the most Super Bowl rings of any in the past decade. They stopped punishing themselves, and started punishing their opponent. The turnaround was so jarring, it felt like stepping out of a driving rain and into a cozy couch under a heated blanket. The hope was this was not a rare lucid moment for a team who forgot what made them great, but a return to normal.
What the Seahawks did to the Chiefs last night will play in Kansas City theaters as a prelude to Halloween. Move over Michael Myers, Michael Macdonald is the new word in horror. His defense undressed Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, Travis Kelce, and yes, Kenneth Walker III, on national television. This was the worst offensive performance of the Mahomes era in Kansas City. They never reached the red zone (first time in his career). They scored 3 points (tied for fewest). Their longest play was 19 yards (tied for shortest). They had 11 first downs (fewest). There were only 213 yards (2nd-fewest).
The Chiefs entered this game undefeated, with the best point differential in the NFL, and the 2nd-best ranking in DVOA. Their offense was 2nd in success rate, 2nd in explosive play rate, and 2nd in epa per rush. They excelled in the screen game, where the Seahawks defense had a few issues. Their interior offensive line is either the best in the NFL, or close to it. They came to Seattle glittering and spotless. They left dark and dusted.
Hidden under the manure that has been the Seahawks offense for four weeks was a Seahawks defense that has been better than the 2025 unit. This game only made the improvement that much clearer.
Dark Side getting darker? 2025 vs. 2026, regular season Weeks 1–7. League rank (of 32) beside each number. |  |
| 2025 | 2026 | Rank |
| Points allowed per game | 19.46th | 17.94th | ▲ 2 |
| Yards allowed per game | 305.910th | 233.91st | ▲ 9 |
| 2025 | 2026 | Rank |
| EPA per play allowed | −0.0369th | −0.1342nd | ▲ 7 |
| Success rate allowed | 41.3%8th | 36.5%2nd | ▲ 6 |
| Third-down conversions allowed | 35.6%10th | 28.0%2nd | ▲ 8 |
| 2025 | 2026 | Rank |
| EPA per dropback | +0.05617th | −0.1072nd | ▲ 15 |
| Yards per dropback | 5.495th | 4.521st | ▲ 4 |
| 20+ yard pass plays (per dropback) | 7.6%13th | 3.6%1st | ▲ 12 |
| Sack rate | 7.3%12th | 6.8%10th | ▲ 2 |
| Pressure rate | 33.9%13th | 40.8%10th | ▲ 3 |
| 2025 | 2026 | Rank |
| EPA per carry | −0.2431st | −0.1772nd | ▼ 1 |
| Yards per carry | 2.981st | 3.312nd | ▼ 1 |
| 10+ yard runs (per carry) | 3.6%1st | 6.4%4th | ▼ 3 |
| 2025 | 2026 | Rank |
| Takeaways per game | 1.1414th | 1.4311th | ▲ 3 |
| 2025 | 2026 | Change |
| Opponents’ offense in their other games (EPA per play) | +0.013 (league +0.011) | +0.016 (league +0.013) | Even |
| Held opponents below their own norm by | 0.049 EPA/play | 0.150 EPA/play | 3x |
| Points per drive after a kickoff, punt or missed FG | 1.49 | 1.22 | −18% |
| Seattle offensive giveaways | 11 | 13 | +2 |
| Points allowed tied to those giveaways | 36 of 136 (26.5%) | 47 of 125 (37.6%) | +11 pts |
Nobody wants to face this group. Other fanbases find joy in other teams having to go up against the Seahawks defense once the punishment is in the rearview mirror.
This is the scariest unit in the NFL. The 49ers may have won here, but it was not because of their offense. Josh Allen and the Bills offense are in the conversation, as is the Vikings defense. None of those have hoisted a Lombardi Trophy. None of those have Macdonald pulling the strings.
One area that has been a question has been edge rush. The Chiefs were missing both of their starting tackles, but Seattle’s best pass rushers have been on the interior. Derick Hall signed an extension this offseason. His sack numbers have gone up, but his overall pressure rate and performance has not been the step forward the team would have hoped for. That changed Sunday night.
Derick Hall vs. Kansas City His best pass-rush games, 2023 to now |
|
6 pressures, tied for 3rd in his 58 games |
32% pressure rate, his highest in one game |
4 pass-rush wins on 19 rushes |
| Game | Rushes | Press. | Rate | Wins |
| 2025 Wk 12 at Tennessee | 26 | 8 | 31% | 8 |
| 2024 Wk 3 vs. Miami | 23 | 7 | 30% | 2 |
| 2026 Wk 7 vs. Kansas City | 19 | 6 | 32% | 4 |
| 2024 Wk 7 at Atlanta | 25 | 6 | 24% | 5 |
| 2026 Wks 1-6, per game | 18.8 | 2.2 | 12% | 1.8 |
| His other 57 games, per game | 16.8 | 2.1 | 13% | 1.7 |
This was the highest pressure rate game of Hall’s career. Did he take advantage of a backup tackle? Yes. One of the biggest secrets in the NFL is how many great pass rushers pile up their numbers against weak competition. In this case, Kahlil Benson is a backup, but not a bad player. He was named AFC Offensive Rookie of the Month. Hall got him for 3 pressures and his sack.
It also stood out compared to Uchenna Nwosu and Demarcus Lawrence, who have been the better edge rushers so far this season, but did not have numbers close to what Hall posted in this game. Lawrence had a 7.7% pressure rate and Nwosu was 14.3%. Dante Fowler Jr. had his most productive pressure game in small snaps (2 pressures in 6 pass rushes).
As impactful as Hall was, Nick Emmanwori stole the show. He terrorized Mahomes behind the line of scrimmage and ran effortlessly with the man who set the combine record for 40-yard dash (4.21s), Xavier Worthy, 30 yards downfield despite weighing 60 pounds more.
Stats do not capture Emmanwori’s value. He is like the gene-spliced monsters from Jurassic World, taking the speed and stealth of the velociraptor and merging it with the power of the tyrannosaurus rex. He is also the cryptex for this defense. He unlocks Macdonald’s most devious plans, and keeps offenses constantly guessing.
Seeing an offense equipped with Mahomes and Walker that hopeless and inept had to be unsettling for every team in the league. This defense is the headline, but they finally have a worthy companion.
Offense joins the party
Scoring 20 points in a game is not usually something to celebrate. The scoreboard can be deceiving. This was arguably the best performance of the year for the Seahawks offense. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is challenging the depth of adjectives in the english language. He was sublime in this one.
The Chiefs have good outside corners. It did not matter. Smith-Njigba took turns torturing all of them. Credit to Brian Fleury for a game plan that put his best player in position to win, time and again. Interestingly, Seattle ran the ball at a higher rate on 1st down (72%) than other games this season, but when they did pass, it was far more successful.
The passing success rate on 1st down was 75% (6 of 8). There were some cleverly scouted quick screens to JSN that were easy throws for Sam Darnold and easy yards for the offense.
Their 3rd down plan was better than it has been all season. There were slants and go routes, and a bushel of conversions.
Everything tied back to the protection plan that made each throw possible.
Seattle's Pass Protection vs. Kansas City Week 7 against Seattle's first six games · 2026 dropbacks | vs |
| Seattle's offense Darnold's quickest game of the season | vs. KC | Change | Wks 1-6 |
| Time to throw NFL Wks 1-6: 2.71s | 2.32s 28 timed | 2.88s 196 timed | |||
| Time to pressure NFL Wks 1-6: 2.54s | 2.60s 10 pressures | 2.59s 102 pressures | |||
| Quick pressure rate Within 2.5s, per dropback · NFL 19.0% | 13.3% 4 of 30 | 21.4% 47 of 220 | |||
| Pressure rate Per dropback · NFL 39.2% | 33.3% 10 of 30 | 46.4% 102 of 220 | |||
| Sacks Per dropback | 0 0.0% | 16 7.3% |
Darnold had his fastest time to throw game of the season. He was around 2.02 seconds in the first half. That is lightning quick. He was over 3.1 seconds before the Broncos game. Over 67% of his throws came in under 2.5 seconds. That is the thing he can do to help himself and this offense the most.
Throwing quickly did not help last week because the protection was allowing quick pressure (under 2.5s). That dipped significantly versus KC. HB Daily and HB Mornings covered how the return of Anthony Bradford could be a bigger part of the solution than people might have expected, given his bad reputation as a pass protector.
He allows Jalen Sundell to slide where he is most needed instead of always helping the right side and leaving Grey Zabel on his own. That showed up Sunday night.
How Seattle protected against Kansas City Seattle dropbacks, Week 7 against Weeks 1–6, 2026 | vs |
| Sundell's slide Share of dropbacks, left or right | Left | Center | Right |
| Week 7 vs KC No slide: 5 of 30 (16.7%) | 53.3% 16 of 30 | 30.0% 9 of 30 | |||
| Weeks 1–6 No slide: 19 of 218 (8.7%) | 40.8% 89 of 218 | 50.5% 110 of 218 |
| Which side got the chips Share of all chips | Left | Center | Right |
| Week 7 vs KC 9 chips | 66.7% 6 of 9 | 33.3% 3 of 9 | |||
| Weeks 1–6 57 chips | 50.9% 29 of 57 | 49.1% 28 of 57 |
| 5-man protectionNo one kept inUp 15.5 pts | ||
| Week 7 vs KC | 80.0% 24 of 30 | |
| Weeks 1–6 | 64.5% 142 of 220 | |
| 6 or more blockersOne or more kept inDown 15.5 pts | ||
| Week 7 vs KC | 20.0% 6 of 30 | |
| Weeks 1–6 | 35.5% 78 of 220 | |
| 7 or more blockersTwo kept inDown 0.3 pts | ||
| Week 7 vs KC | 3.3% 1 of 30 | |
| Weeks 1–6 | 3.6% 8 of 220 | |
| Dropbacks with a chipUp 7.3 pts | ||
| Week 7 vs KC | 30.0% 9 of 30 | |
| Weeks 1–6 | 22.7% 50 of 220 | |
| Chips by a tight endShare of all chips, lined up at tight endUp 27.5 pts | ||
| Week 7 vs KC | 88.9% 8 of 9 | |
| Weeks 1–6 | 61.4% 35 of 57 | |
| Dropbacks with helpDown 13.2 pts | ||
| Week 7 vs KC | 40.0% 12 of 30 | |
| Weeks 1–6 | 53.2% 117 of 220 | |
| All dropbacksDown 13.1 pts | ||
| Week 7 vs KC | 33.3% 10 of 30 | |
| Weeks 1–6 | 46.4% 102 of 220 | |
| With helpChip or extra blockerDown 15.4 pts | ||
| Week 7 vs KC | 33.3% 4 of 12 | |
| Weeks 1–6 | 48.7% 57 of 117 | |
| Without helpFive-man protection, no chipDown 10.4 pts | ||
| Week 7 vs KC | 33.3% 6 of 18 | |
| Weeks 1–6 | 43.7% 45 of 103 | |
Sundell helped Zabel more and that meant zero quick pressure surrendered by Zabel after giving up a few against the Broncos. They also chose to use the tight ends to chip and help instead of the running backs. The backs had been a huge part of the protection problem. This was a smart adjustment.
They actually kept in fewer blockers. They just chipped more often, and with more effective players.
Grey Zabel vs. Kansas City Left guard · Week 7 against his first six games · 2026 dropbacks | vs |
| Pass protection Drew Chris Jones on 13 of 30 snaps | vs. KC | Change | Wks 1-6 |
| Pressure rate allowed NFL guards Wks 1-6: 5.4% | 6.7% 2 of 30 | 6.4% 14 of 220 | |||
| Quick pressures allowed Within 2.5s · NFL guards 2.6% | 0.0% 0 of 30 | 2.7% 6 of 220 | |||
| Avg time when beaten Higher is better · NFL guards 2.54s | 2.88s | 2.47s | |||
| Sacks · hits · hurries Allowed | 0 · 0 · 2 | 2 · 1 · 11 | |||
| Blocks lost Per snap · NFL guards 8.0% | 6.7% 2 of 30 | 9.5% 21 of 220 | |||
| Penalties Accepted, every snap | 1 1 game | 2 6 games |
| Pressures allowed vs. KC (2) | Time | Rusher | Result |
| 2nd & 3 Q2 00:23 | 2.88s to pressure | Peter Woods | Interception Hurry · thrown at 3.46s |
| 3rd & 9 Q3 12:55 | 2.87s to pressure | Chris Jones | Scramble Hurry |
Abraham Lucas vs. Kansas City Right tackle · Week 7 against his first six games · 2026 dropbacks | vs |
| Pass protection Two of his three pressures were Karlaftis | vs. KC | Change | Wks 1-6 |
| Pressure rate allowed NFL tackles Wks 1-6: 6.1% | 10.0% 3 of 30 | 7.7% 17 of 220 | |||
| Quick pressures allowed Within 2.5s · NFL tackles 2.9% | 3.3% 1 of 30 | 4.1% 9 of 220 | |||
| Avg time when beaten Higher is better · NFL tackles 2.55s | 3.02s | 2.66s | |||
| Sacks · hits · hurries Allowed | 0 · 1 · 2 | 2 · 3 · 12 | |||
| Blocks lost Per snap · NFL tackles 9.0% | 10.0% 3 of 30 | 10.5% 23 of 220 | |||
| Penalties Accepted, every snap | 0 1 game | 3 6 games |
| Pressures allowed vs. KC (3) | Time | Rusher | Result |
| 3rd & 7 Q2 08:30 | 3.76s to pressure | George Karlaftis | Incomplete Hit · thrown at 3.95s |
| 3rd & 9 Q3 12:55 | 2.87s to pressure | R. Mason Thomas | Scramble Hurry |
| 3rd & 15 Q3 08:17 | 2.44s to pressure | George Karlaftis | Incomplete Hurry · thrown at 4.24s |
The performance for Lucas looks worse than it was. Not all pressures are equal. One of them was in 3.76 seconds. All three of them were on 3rd and long. None of them resulted in a sack. The average time when beaten tells a more accurate story of how he took a step forward.
Get the ball out fast. Get rid of quick pressures. Get a better run game. Beat man coverage. That was the get-well plan. Seeing the coaches and players make that much progress in one week was impressive.
They went from a rapid turnaround from a Sunday loss to the 49ers to a Thursday night game that there was no real practice time or adjustments to be made.
Bradford coming back certainly helped. Emanuel Wilson did a better job reading his cutback. Fleury also adjusted his run calls, shifting more to inside zone and more man concepts. That better suits Wilson’s strengths, and he had his best day on the ground. Overall, more runs were successful (41%) and fewer got stuffed (15%). They did it against a Chiefs defense that loaded the box on 54% of snaps, the most of any game this season by a Seahawks opponent.
They also had their best game of the season against man coverage. They also saw the bootleg make a nice return appearance, and they got the tight ends involved. There was a lot to like.
This felt sustainable. It looked like something that could grow with a few additional players added to the mix when Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price return. Seattle also faces one of the weaker remaining schedules in terms of opposing defenses after facing a ton of tough defenses to start the year.
The turnaround was remarkable. In fact, there has only been one other stretch of four games as bad as the previous four had been for the Seahawks offense, that then had a game as efficient and productive as this one was for the Seahawks. That came in 2010 when the Seahawks limped into the playoffs as a 7-9 division winner and then had the Beast Quake game against the Saints. Think about that. Of every five game stretch since 1999, this was only the second time a Seattle offense had been that bad for four games and then that good the next game.
That sets them up for a huge game against the Bears on Monday Night football. More than that, it allows every man in that locker room to look at each other and see the team they know themselves to be. Fleury can hopefully settle in and build on a formula that worked. Darnold can do the same. They are not out of the woods yet, but they are built in the PNW. They welcome the woods, and the darkness that is to come.