Halftime Observations: Seahawks Awaken in Second Quarter, Lead Chiefs 10-0 on Sunday Night Football
Behind another ridiculous half by Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the Seahawks broke open a defensive slugfest with 10 points in the second quarter, but a late turnover looms large for the home squad against the undefeated Chiefs.
SEATTLE, Wash. - Still playing far from a perfect half of football, the Seattle Seahawks scored 10 unanswered points behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba's 129 receiving yards to take a 10-0 advantage into the half against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.
Here are three takeaways from a fast-paced first half at Lumen Field:
1. Seattle's defense making life tough on Ken Walker III early in Lumen Field return.
Circled on the calendar since the schedule came out in May, Walker came back to town as the NFL's leading rusher, averaging 6.3 yards per carry with eight total touchdowns as he emerged as a dark horse MVP candidate. The Seahawks haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher in 35 games, creating a true best-against-best scenario. In the first half, the "Dark Side" appears to have the upper hand on a familiar foe, holding K9 to just 24 yards on eight rushes and two catches for 11 yards on three targets.
Swarming to the ball from the jump, Walker hasn't had much room to operate, getting blasted by linebacker Tyrice Knight and defensive tackle Leonard Williams for no gain on a sweep on the game's opening series. Kansas City made a conscious effort to get the ball into the playmaker's hands, including a screen that netted six yards on that same drive, but he didn't have a single touch that netted more than seven yards in the first half. Heading into the break, his 10 total touches resulted in 35 yards and just 3.5 yards per touch from scrimmage, certainly a big win out of the gate for Mike Macdonald's defense.
