KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A few thoughts on the Seattle Seahawks' 24-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
What it means: On a bitterly cold day, the Seahawks dropped to 6-4, ending their three-game winning streak. Winning the NFC West looks like a difficult task now, but Seattle does have five division games remaining. The Seahawks had no answer for Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles, who rushed for 159 yards on 20 carries and scored two TDs.
Stock watch: The Seahawks' defense continuously got pushed back at the line of scrimmage. Kansas City’s 15-play, 86-yard drive to start the game tied for the most plays the defense has allowed on any TD drive this season. Seattle had allowed two 80-yard TD drives in the first nine games, but the Chiefs had two in the first half.
Fourth-down failures: Trailing 24-20 midway through the fourth quarter, the Seahawks elected to go for it on fourth-and-goal at the 2. Russell Wilson threw a fade to Doug Baldwin that was out of his reach. Baldwin felt he was pushed by cornerback Sean Smith, but there was no flag. On their next series, the Seahawks had a fourth-and-1 at the Kansas City 36, but Marshawn Lynch was stopped short on the handoff up the middle.
Lockette ejected: Seattle backup wide receiver Ricardo Lockette was ejected in the third quarter for throwing a punch at Kansas City safety Kurt Coleman at the end of a Chiefs punt return. Coleman shoved Lockette on the sideline after the play ended before Lockette threw his haymaker into Coleman’s facemask.
Moeaki’s TD catch: Tight end Tony Moeaki, in his first game for the Seahawks, had a 1-yard TD catch against his former teammates in the third quarter. It was his first TD reception since Week 13 of 2012, when he was playing for the Chiefs.
Game ball: Lynch had another big game, rushing for 124 yards on 24 carries, but couldn’t come through when the Seahawks needed it on the fourth-down play.
Mebane missed: It was clear early the Seahawks missed Brandon Mebane at his nose tackle spot. The Chiefs had four drives of at least 67 yards. Charles rushed for 78 yards on eight carries in the first half and Kansas City had 190 yards rushing in the game.
What’s next: The Seahawks return home for a huge NFC West game against the division-leading Arizona Cardinals. Seattle’s only home loss last season came against the Cardinals, 17-10 on Dec. 22. Arizona has won three of the last five meetings against the Seahawks.