Rapid Reaction: 'Dark Side' Turns Out Lights on Chiefs, Seahawks Secure 20-3 Win
Preventing the No. 1 scoring offense in the NFL from even sniffing the red zone, the Seahawks sent an emphatic statement with a dominant win against the Chiefs, climbing back into the NFC West race in prime time.
SEATTLE, Wash. - Picking up the signature win they badly needed on the same day that the San Francisco 49ers slipped up in Atlanta, the Seattle Seahawks poured the ice on a previously red-hot Kansas City Chiefs offense to secure a commanding 20-3 win on Sunday Night Football.
Playing one of his cleaner games of the season, Sam Darnold threw for 257 yards and tossed a touchdown to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who finished with night with 150 yards on nine receptions. Emanuel Wilson put a dagger in the Chiefs late with a long rushing touchdown to extend the lead to 17 points late in the fourth quarter, while Ty Okada intercepted Patrick Mahomes to lead a suffocating defensive effort.
Here are five quick takeaways from a monumental prime time victory at Lumen Field:
1. Darnold, Seahawks turn over a new leaf on third down, setting up three scoring drives with clutch conversions.
Prior to kickoff on Sunday night, few teams had been more inept on third down than the Seahawks through the first six weeks of the 2026 season, as they ranked 29th with a dreadful 32.4% conversion rate. But that number received quite the face lift against the Chiefs with Darnold getting off to a quick start on money downs and not cooling off throughout the night. On the first series, the veteran quarterback zipped a 3rd and 5 completion to Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a slant, followed up by a 3rd and 2 "Barn Yard" sneak conversion from tight end AJ Barner, only for the drive to run out of gas and finish with a punt.
After the defense forced a second straight punt, Darnold connected on consecutive 3rd and 9 situations with Cooper Kupp and Smith-Njigba for 11 and 10 yard gains to push past midfield. Only a few plays later, again facing 3rd and 7, the quarterback hit Smith-Njigba over the middle and the reigning Offensive Player of the Year turned on the jets and raced up the sideline, turning a short catch into a 33-yard gain that set up Jason Myers' 25-yard field goal to open the scoring. He later added a seven-yard scramble on 3rd and 6, leading to a 28-yard touchdown strike to Smith-Njigba to expand Seattle's lead to 10-0.
