Nov 16, 2014; Kansas City, MO; Chiefs outside linebacker Tamba Hali (91) celebrates with defensive back Kelcie McCray (24) after the Chiefs stopped the Seattle Seahawks on fourth down in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs (7-3) outlasted the Seattle Seahawks (6-4) on Sunday, defeating the reigning Super Bowl champions 24-20.
Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith completed 11-of-16 passes for 108 yards on the afternoon. He orchestrated most of the offensive damage via handoffs.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson completed 20-of-32 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns.
Next up for the Chiefs are the Oakland Raiders (0-10), the Denver Broncos (7-3) and the Arizona Cardinals (9-1).
In the meantime, here are the highs and lows for Week 11.
HIGHS
• The Kansas City defense held the Seahawks on fourth down in three straight drives in the fourth quarter, two of those possessions being fourth-and-short in Chiefs territory.
“They did a phenomenal job there of getting off the field,” coach Andy Reid said.
• The Chiefs had no problem handling Seattle’s highly rated run defense.
Coming into the game, the Seattle defense allowed an average of 79.8 yards rushing per game. The Chiefs surpassed that with running back Jamaal Charles’ 16-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter.
By the final whistle, the Chiefs racked up 190 yards rushing, with Charles leading the pack with 159 yard and two touchdowns. Rookie running back/wide receiver De’Anthony Thomas had 22 yards and running back Knile Davis added 10 yards.
• Rookie kicker Cairo Santos made his 11th straight field goal on the year. Santos started the season 2-of-4 against Tennessee and Denver.
“I’m just glad things are starting to go the way they were going in training camp and preseason,” Santos said. “I felt I was a very consistent kicker through those times. Once you jump into the regular season it’s a different game, it’s a different experience out there and I got caught in the middle of that.”
• Punter Dustin Colquitt, wide receiver Junior Hemingway and wide receiver Albert Wilson teamed up on special teams to pin Seattle deep in their own territory.
Colquitt punted for 51 yards, where it nearly crossed the goal line. Hemingway caught up with the ball and batted into the field where Wilson downed the ball inside the five-yard line.
The Seahawks managed to charge down the field, but couldn’t convert on 4th and goal at the Kansas City two-yard line.
• The Chiefs held Seattle running back Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch and the Seahawks ground-game brigade out of the end zone Sunday. The Chiefs defense extended their streak to 11 straight games of not allowing a rushing touchdown.
“They’re not in until they’re in,” linebacker Josh Mauga said. “We preach that every week and we take pride in it.”
LOWS
• The Chiefs were -2 in the turnover margin after fumbles from tight end Travis Kelce and Charles. Seattle converted both of the turnovers into 10 points; Kelce’s fumble set up a Seattle field goal and Charles’ fumble set up a receiving touchdown for former Chief Tony Moeaki.
“It ripped my heart out at first,” Kelce said. “We have good leaders on this team and kept me up, kept me in the game. Unfortunately I put the defense in a bad position late in the second quarter that didn’t help us out, but at the same time they stepped up, held them to three and from there we still had some momentum going into the second half.”
• The Chiefs still do not have a touchdown from a wide receiver after 10 games. Only one wide receiver had a catch at all in Sunday’s game. Dwayne Bowe had two catches for 18 yards..
• Defensive back Ron Parker had a rough go on Seattle’s second drive of the game.
Parker was penalized during that series for illegal hands to the face. That penalty wiped out what would have been outside linebacker Justin Houston’s 13th sack on the season. Houston also forced a fumble, leading to a Chiefs recovery. Parker’s penalty gave the Seahawks a first down, and he was beat by wide receiver Jermaine Kearse for 24 yards and wide receiver Doug Baldwin for a 7-yard touchdown.
• The Chiefs defense may have not allowed a rushing touchdown, but they let Seattle run rampant on every other part of the field. The Seahawks had 204 yards rushing on the afternoon. Even the winless Oakland Raiders held them to less (149) in Week 9.
• Wide receiver Frankie Hammond Jr. started in place of Donnie Avery, who missed his sixth straight game. Other than getting the starting bid, Hammond was invisible in stats at the end of the game. Hammond wasn’t targeted and didn’t take a handoff. On the positive side of things, he didn’t draw a flag either.
