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# Rapid Reaction: Jalen Milroe Impresses Despite Seahawks Settling for 9-9 Preseason Tie vs. Chiefs
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/rapid-reaction-jalen-milroe-impresses-seattle-seahawks-preseason-tie-kansas-city-chiefs/
- Published: 2026-08-29T03:21:11.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-29T03:21:11.000Z
- Author: Corbin Smith
- Tags: Analysis, Game Day, Seahawks, Jalen Milroe, Emmanuel Henderson Jr., Cody White, Ricky White III, Trevon Diggs, Nehemiah Pritchett, Jason Myers, Jared Ivey, J.R. Singleton, Jalan Gaines

Ushering in the regular season with a draw, Jalen Milroe threw his first touchdown pass of the preseason as the Seattle Seahawks tied the Kansas City Chiefs by the score of 9-9 at Arrowhead Stadium.

Enjoying the best performance of his young career, Milroe completed 16 out of 26 passes for 223 yards and connected with Nick Vannett on a four-yard touchdown while adding 20 rushing yards. Cornerback Trevon Diggs kicked off his time as a Seahawk with a bang, intercepting a pass on the second series of the game, while defensive linemen Jared Ivey and Bubba Thomas each finished with two tackles for loss apiece to lead the defense.

Finishing the preseason with a tie after two losses to Dallas and Tennessee earlier in exhibition season, here are five quick takeaways from Seattle’s final dress rehearsal in Kansas City:

### 1\. More decisive and in rhythm, Milroe takes the positive step forward Seattle hoped to see with a full game of action.

Desiring a more extended opportunity to evaluate the young signal caller and let him establish a rhythm, the Seahawks opted to start Milroe with the plan to play for him the entirety of the preseason finale after an uneven first two games rotating in behind Drew Lock. Making strides less than a week after getting intercepted twice against the Titans, he came out firing with confidence on Friday night, launching a 40-yard completion on a post route to Cody White and connecting with tight end Elijah Arroyo for a 24-yard completion over the middle on the team’s opening series to set up a Jason Myers field goal.

Moving into the second quarter, Milroe kept slinging darts with more decisive throws from the pocket, linking up with White on a 19-yard completion on 3rd and 9 to move the chains and adding a 13-yard connection with Montorie Foster Jr. Unfortunately, that drive didn’t end with any points, as running back Jacardia Wright failed to catch a backward pass and the Chiefs were awarded the ball on a fumble recovery. He closed out the half completing seven out of 10 passes for 118 yards and north of 12 yards per attempt and an unfortunate turnover charged to him that wasn’t his fault on a well-defended screen.

In the second half, after being robbed of a potential chance to lead a touchdown drive with Wright’s miscue, Milroe finally found the end zone for the first time this preseason on Seattle’s second drive of the third quarter. After impressively side-stepping a possible sack and completing a 26-yard pass to Emmanuel Henderson Jr. to set up first and goal inside the five-yard line, he scampered into the end zone untouched on a read option, only for a hold on tight end Nick Vannett to wipe out the score. But he came right back to Vannett two plays later, patiently waiting for him to be uncovered at the goal line for a four-yard touchdown pass.

With the game hanging in the balance, Milroe stood tall in the pocket with pressure bearing down on him after executing a play fake, feathering a strike to Henderson on a corner route for a 30-yard gain into Kansas City territory just before the two minute warning. Bleeding the clock out afterward with the run game, including a first down carry by undrafted rookie Justin Jones, that completion set up Myers for the game winner opportunity that wasn’t meant to be.

### 2\. Rebounding from a rough preseason game in Nashville, White puts his best foot forward as Milroe's top target.

Just two days after Jake Bobo went down with a season-ending torn ACL, White had his first crack at proving he deserved a 53-man roster spot as an ideal replacement on offense and special teams. Unfortunately, the normally reliable veteran endured a tough evening in the Music City, flubbing a punt return that the Titans recovered and turned into a field goal while also having a deep ball bounce off his chest to miss out on a potential big play in the passing game.

Not letting that performance leak into Friday’s final dress rehearsal, White came out red hot with Milroe looking for him early and often. He started off with a 10-yard reception on the opening drive before setting up Myers’ field goal with the aforementioned 40-yard grab on a pass dropped perfectly into the bucket, catching the longest pass for the Seahawks this preseason. Breaking a tackle for some impressive YAC yardage, he turned a short grab into a 19-yard gain on 3rd and 9 on the next drive. By the time he exited, he had a team-high three catches for 69 yards, picking the perfect time for a bounce back.

Away from Cody White, Henderson Jr. and Ricky White III also stepped up with increased opportunities. The former had his longest catch of the preseason when he turned a 3rd and 6 into first and goal on a 26-yard catch, breaking through an arm tackle and nearly reaching the ball past the goal line in a diving attempt to score before being ruled down at the two. He then outdid himself on the decisive final drive of the game, turning back to the ball to reel in a 30-yard catch at the two-minute warning. Taking on the possession role, White caught three out of four targets from Milroe for 27 yards, finishing third on the team in receiving yardage to wrap up his second preseason on a positive note.

### 3\. Diggs’ best known calling card shows up early in Seahawks debut, while Nehemiah Pritchett impressed in the red zone.

Thrown into a crash course class after the conclusion of training camp, Diggs has still only practiced four days with the Seahawks, and that included a joint session with the Titans where he primarily participated in individual drills and a walkthrough on Thursday morning. In other words, he hasn’t had long to try and learn a complex playbook, but the seasoned veteran showed why Macdonald felt comfortable plugging him into the starting lineup for a first look in Kansas City.

While his first drive included a bad missed tackle where tight end Jason Kelce made him whiff with a juke move, he opened that same possession with a quality tackle against the run. On the ensuing series, rookie quarterback Garrett Nusmeier tried to connect with receiver Xavier Worthy on a crossing route, but the two players were far from on the same page as the throw wound up being 10 yards short of the receiver. Sitting there in perfect position to make a play, Diggs picked off the pass and once he went out of bounds, his new teammates sprinted off the sidelines to celebrate, drawing what Macdonald loves to call a “cost of business” penalty in the preseason.

With Diggs raising the stakes as the battle for the No. 3 cornerback spot continues to wage on, Pritchett did his best to match his new competitor. After the Chiefs had advanced inside the Seahawks’ 10-yard line early in the second quarter, Nussmeier tried to challenge the third-year defender with a slant to receiver Andrew Armstrong, but the former fifth round pick out of Auburn played sticky coverage and got his arm out in front for the pass breakup to the delight of Devon Witherspoon and others as he denied the touchdown in the end zone.

Playing a handful of series before exiting for the sideline, Diggs turned in an explosive debut that undoubtedly will turn up the heat on Pritchett, who spent most of training camp as the clear favorite for the third cornerback role. Now, that may no longer be the case, but the latter performed well enough in his last audition to make life tougher on the coaching staff.

### 4\. Minimal pass rush, trouble with screens hurt Seattle early, but situational red zone effectiveness salvaged multiple drives.

Generating pressure on opposing quarterbacks has truly been feast or famine for the Seahawks during the preseason, as they couldn’t muster any harassment to speak of on the Cowboys in the opener before waking up with a strong performance getting after a bevy of Titans quarterbacks last weekend. From the outset in Friday’s finale, the results mirrored the undesirable ones from two weeks prior, as Nussmeier regularly had a well-protected pocket to throw from with minimal disruption in the first half.

During the first two quarters, the Seahawks only managed to get two hits on Nussmeier with a single sack. One of those came from a blitzing Patrick O’Connell coming from the second level, while J.R. Singleton continued a stellar camp with the only hit from the front line along with a swatted pass on that same play. Otherwise, there was little pressure to speak of on the rookie quarterback, which was aided by the fact that the Chiefs averaged nearly five yards per carry in the half and found great success running the football.

In another effective method used to slow the visiting team’s pass rush down, Kansas City mixed in several excellent screen calls for explosive plays. In total, the Chiefs picked up 14 or more yards on three screens in the first half, including a 17-yard tight end screen to Jared Wiley that set up a field goal for Harrison Butker. Seattle’s defensive line struggled to read screen on those opportunities, getting far too far upfield before finally realizing what was happening, creating ample space for blockers to get out in front as a caravan.

But through it all, even though the Chiefs got into the red zone three times, the Seahawks bent and didn’t break. In all three instances, they bucked up in the shadow of their own goal post, holding Andy Reid’s squad out of the end zone with several impressive stops. This included a fantastic goal line stand early in the fourth quarter where Seattle stopped three straight runs inside the four-yard line, headlined by Jalan Gaines running down the back in backside pursuit for no gain on third and goal to force another Butker field goal.

### 5\. Jason Myers has potentially shifted into concerning territory with another miss to close out preseason play.

After making five field goals in Super Bowl LX, Myers has not had the ideal start to the 2026 season this month, missing two field goals and an extra point in the first two preseason games. Friday started off a bit better for the former Pro Bowler, as he split the uprights on a 46-yard field goal to put the Seahawks up 3-0 midway through the first quarter.

But that make didn’t prevent another inexplicable miss later in the game. After Milroe’s touchdown pass to Vannett put the Seahawks back in front 9-6, he badly missed the ensuing extra point, keeping the lead at three points. This allowed the Chiefs to tie the game up on the next drive with another Butker field goal, and then after Milroe’s efforts getting his team into field goal range again in the final minute, the kicker again went wide right on a 52-yard field goal attempt as the clock expired. With the preseason now in the books, he left a whopping 11 points off the board, with two of those coming on chip shot extra points that he should be able to make in his sleep.

It’s still only August and Myers has shown in the past that he can shake off a couple bad games and get on a roll in a hurry. But the fact that he missed at least one kick in every preseason game along with a pair of extra points may ramp up the panic meter a bit with just 12 days until the season opener against the Patriots.