'This is What We Do': Seahawks Send Emphatic Message Silencing Chiefs in Prime Time
Losing three of their previous four, the Seahawks needed to prove they still belonged among the NFL's elite with a marquee win. They achieved just that on Sunday night behind a clinical performance from the "Dark Side" defense.
SEATTLE, Wash. - All week long, whether they wanted to admit it or not, the Seattle Seahawks had heard the noise.
With the red-hot Chiefs coming to town with an undefeated record, all of the chatter seemed to revolve around former Seahawks running back Ken Walker III, who returned to his old stomping grounds leading the NFL in rushing yards and yards per carry. Though Seattle still had a top-five run defense in most metrics and had not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 35 games, many pundits thought that streak would fall to "K9" and Kansas City's high-octane offense.
But by the time the clock hit triple zeroes after a fourth down conversion by tight end AJ Barner on a "Barn Yard" sneak, Walker, Patrick Mahomes, and company left the field twisted in knots. Allowing just 11 total first downs and zero red zone trips, the Seahawks held the NFL's top scoring offense to a single field goal and secured a dominant 20-3 victory on Sunday Night Football.
“I’m not surprised. This is how we play week in and week out. We practice like this week in and week out," Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II said afterward. "I’m not surprised about how we went out there and played. I’m not surprised by the results. This is us; this is the dark side. This is what we do.”
Though Murphy and the Seahawks may not have necessarily felt slighted heading into Sunday's contest, after losing back-to-back games for the first time in more than a year, the "Dark Side" came out on a mission. First and foremost, they refused to let Walker get rolling against his former team, executing the type of relentless swarm that would make a queen bee proud.
