By the Numbers: Seahawks Welcome Familiar Face and Skyrocketing Chiefs to Seattle
The Chiefs and Seahawks renew an old AFC West rivalry on Sunday Night Football this weekend. What numbers go into this critical matchup for Seattle?
Yes. Ken Walker III is making his return to Seattle in a Kansas City Chiefs uniform. Walker is currently one of the favorites to win Offensive Player of the Year, which has created some angst amongst Seahawks fans wondering why he wasn't retained after winning Super Bowl LX MVP honors.
That’s only part of the story between the Chiefs and Seahawks, however. There are 22 players on the field at one time. There are plenty of ways both teams can come out of Sunday Night Football in Seattle with a win.
Let’s dive into some key numbers:
35
Yes, let’s get this out of the way. The Seahawks have gone an astounding 35 games in a row without allowing a 100-yard rusher. It’s the longest such streak in the NFL. It’s a perfect storm as Walker returns to Seattle, looking to spoil that streak. The defending Super Bowl MVP would love nothing more than to stick it to the team that let him walk out the door. Walker is averaging 133 yards per game, which leads the NFL. Holding him under 100 yards will be no small task. However, Seattle’s run defense ranks sixth-best in the NFL in EPA allowed per rush. If there’s a defense that can finally contain Walker, it’s his former teammates in blue, gray, and green.
53
The Seahawks and Chiefs have met 53 times in their history. Of course, that was mostly due to Seattle residing in the same AFC West as the Chiefs from 1977 through 2001. The Chiefs own the series 34 games to 19. They have also won four of the last five matchups. However, the last time Kansas City was in Seattle, which was 2018, the Seahawks came out victorious against eventual MVP Patrick Mahomes in a late December primetime matchup.
