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Rapid Reactions: Seahawks Outrun Kansas City Chiefs In 33-16 Preseason Win

The Seahawks Were Dominant On Both Sides Of The Ball On Their Way To A Big Win Over The Chiefs In Friday Night’s Preseason Game

Aug 15, 2025 at 10:06 PM

John Boyle

Seahawks.com Senior Reporter

When the Seahawks starting offense, minus a few players dealing with injuries, took the field for the first time this preseason, Sam Darnold handed off to Zach Charbonnet, and thanks to some great blocking in front of him, he sprinted for a 13-yard gain.

That play, and so many that followed, set the tone for what was a physical and dominant preseason win for the Seahawks, who beat Kansas City 33-16 at Lumen Field.

Here are six rapid reactions to Friday's night's win:

The starting offense looked great in its brief appearance.

Sam Darnold made his preseason debut with his new team on Friday night, and while he and the rest of the starting offense only made a brief cameo, it was an encouraging start.

With Zach Charbonnet paving the way on the ground and with Darnold sharp through the air, the Seahawks marched 81 yards on 10 plays for a touchdown on the only possession of the game for Darnold, Charbonnet, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Anthony Bradford, Grey Zabel, Abraham Lucas and several other top offensive players.

Charbonnet carried five times, rushing for 45 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown, and was the beneficiary of several big holes opened up by the offensive line and tight ends. Darnold went four for four for 34 yards, completing passes to Smith-Njigba, AJ Barner, Robbie Ouzts and Elijah Arroyo.

That physical and efficient drive set the tone for what ended up being a great day for Klint Kubiak's offense.

Just sayin'...

Offensive Line on 🔥 pic.twitter.com/HhJDK7L9pP
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 16, 2025

Klint Kubiak's offense kept humming after most of the starters checked out.

After subbing out a lot of their starters, the Seahawks kept rolling on offense behind a balanced attack that featured a ton of big plays in the running game and a really strong day from No. 2 quarterback Drew Lock.

Including the opening drive with the starters, the Seahawks scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions, reached the 2-yard line the one time they didn't score, and did not punt until early in the fourth quarter (and of course it was a fantastic punt by Michael Dickson, pinning the Chiefs at the 7-yard line).

In the first half alone, the Seahawks rushed for 174 yards, averaging 7.6 yards per carry, and had 309 yards of total offense while going four-for-five on third down and averaging 8.6 yards per play.

Midway through the third quarter after scoring their fourth touchdown, the Seahawks were up to 217 rushing yards on 30 carries, good for a 7.2 yards-per-carry average. And by the time the clock hit zero, the Seahawks had totaled 29 first downs, 477 total yards and 268 rushing yards.

Julian Love's fourth down stop highlighted a night of great effort from the defense.

With the Chiefs facing fourth-and-one on their opening drive, they elected to go for it, giving Seattle's starting defense, minus some veteran linemen who got the day off, a chance at a highlight moment on that unit's only possession of the game.

And when Chiefs fullback Carson Steele took the handoff, leaping at the line of scrimmage, safety Julian Love was up to the challenge, meeting Steele in the hole to take him down for no gain and a turnover on downs, a play that was celebrated enthusiastically by teammates on the sideline.

The play itself was impressive enough, but the fact that it was made by a seventh-year veteran, a starter and a Pro-Bowler who does not need a preseason game to secure anything, and who, by the way, is 33 pounds lighter than Steele, was a statement about the kind of effort and passion Seattle's defense was playing with all night long.

It wasn't always perfect, but the Seahawks played hard all night on defense, allowing only two scores by Kansas City's offense, and held Kansas City to just nine first downs and 156 yards of total offense.

Drew Lock is a heck of a No. 2 quarterback.

There is no question that Darnold is the Seahawks' starting quarterback. But throughout camp, and again on Friday night, Lock showed that Seattle has a very good quarterback behind Darnold on the depth chart.

Lock, a former second-round pick with 28 career starts under his belt, was an efficient 10-for-12 for 129 yards and two touchdowns, giving him a near-perfect 151.0 passer rating. Lock also rushed for 34 yards on two carries, including a 30-yard scramble to get into the red zone. With Lock leading the way, the No. 2 offense scored three touchdowns on four possessions, and the one that didn't end in a score reached the 2-yard line before Seattle turned it over on downs.

Dareke Young & Jake Bobo make big statements in a tight competition at receiver.

After Smith-Njigba and Kupp made their brief appearances, it was time for the rest of Seattle's receivers, who are in a tight competition for playing time and roster spots, to state their case. Several players stepped up to that challenge, most notably Jake Bobo and Dareke Young.

Young, a special teams mainstay during his three seasons in Seattle, has made several big plays on offense in training camp, and on Friday he was the team's leading receiver, picking up 52 yards on three catches. He also added a 29-yard kick return as one of two returners, along with George Holani, on Seattle's first few kick returns before other players rotated in.

Bobo, meanwhile, scored two touchdowns on his only two catches of the night, then added a 20-yard punt return for good measure.

And because special teams is a big deal when it comes to making the team, it's also worth pointing out Cody White, who in addition to having two catches for 26 yards, had a great open-field tackle on kick coverage to stop the Chiefs at their own 20-yard line.

Brandon Pili powered his way to a safety… and a spot on the roster?

Since going undrafted in 2023, Brandon Pili has appeared in 12 career regular season games, all with the Dolphins, and finished last season on Seattle's practice squad. But with veteran nose tackle Johnathan Hankins sidelined by a back injury, young linemen have a big opportunity to crack the rotation in the interior line rotation, and Pili has been making the most of it throughout what has been a very solid training camp.

And on Friday, he backed up that strong camp with a standout play, shooting into the backfield on a first-down run to greet running back Elijah Mitchell in the backfield, with linebacker Drake Thomas coming in to help finish off the tackle in the end zone for a safety.

Current mood:

ForTheCelly x @budlight pic.twitter.com/M16U7m5WFF
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 16, 2025