Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs‘ offense had a night to forget against the Seattle Seahawks. The Chiefs had revamped their offense this season, building it around Mahomes and bringing back the explosive plays that had been missing. Whether it was Kenneth Walker III ripping off chunk gains on the ground or Mahomes attacking downfield off play-action, the Chiefs had found their offensive rhythm again.
But in Week 7, Seattle threw a wrench into those plans. The Seahawks’ defense took away the big plays, bottled up the run game, and kept Mahomes from finding any rhythm in the pocket. Just like that, Kansas City’s high-powered offense went ice-cold, delivering one of its ugliest performances of the Mahomes era.
Seahawks Hand Patrick Mahomes an Unwanted First of His Career
The Seahawks game made unwanted history for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. For the first time in Mahomes’ 153 career starts, Kansas City failed to reach the red zone. That’s how thoroughly Seattle’s defense shut the door on the Chiefs’ offense.
During the Chiefs’ 20-3 loss to the Seahawks, Kansas City never reached the red zone, the first time that has happened in a Patrick Mahomes NFL start, with Sunday being his 153rd career start including playoffs. https://t.co/wzsTobILH9
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 26, 2026
The ground game was no better. Walker, facing his former team, was held to just 36 yards on 14 carries. Walker had helped Seattle win the Super Bowl last season before making the move to Kansas City, but his homecoming turned into a frustrating night.
The bigger problem, however, was Kansas City’s complete lack of explosiveness. The Chiefs failed to record a single rushing gain of 10-plus yards or a passing play of 20-plus yards. Without those chunk plays to flip field position, Mahomes and the offense struggled to move the chains and sustain drives.
And even when the Chiefs managed to get into scoring territory, they couldn’t find a way to finish drives.
Mahomes wrapped up the night with 165 passing yards on 19-of-33 attempts. His five yards per attempt and 58.3 passer rating were both the fifth-lowest marks of his career, highlighting just how badly Seattle had him under wraps.
To make matters worse, this was only the second time Kansas City had been held to three or fewer points with Mahomes under center. The only other instance came in Week 7 of the 2021 season, when the Chiefs suffered a 27-3 beatdown at the hands of the Tennessee Titans. Coincidentally, another Week 7 has now delivered another offensive nightmare for Mahomes and company. The only silver lining was Travis Kelce making NFL history.
Chiefs’ Supporting Cast Lets Patrick Mahomes Down Against Seattle
The Chiefs also recorded their fewest yards and first downs in any game started by Mahomes. That’s how ugly things got in Seattle.
It was a frustrating night for the two-time MVP, who was already dealing with a depleted supporting cast. Kansas City was without two of its top wideouts, Rashee Rice (hamstring) and Tyquan Thornton (dislocated ankle), while starting right tackle Jaylon Moore (concussion) was also sidelined.
Still, Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense have found ways to get the job done in similarly difficult circumstances. This time, though, there was no rallying the troops. The offense was out of sync from the opening whistle, and nothing seemed to click.
As Mahomes tried to find his rhythm under the primetime lights, his receiving corps couldn’t do much to help. Thornton’s absence was particularly noticeable, while a costly drop from Xavier Worthy just as the offense started showing signs of life in the second half left Chiefs Kingdom — and Mahomes himself — pulling their hair out.
Those frustrations are understandable after a beatdown like this. But Mahomes knows there’s no time to dwell on the missed opportunities. The Chiefs have to own the ugly tape, learn from it, and find a way to bounce back.
Last Word on Chiefs
Now, the Chiefs face a major test of how quickly they can bounce back from this offensive nightmare.
Kansas City heads to Denver next Sunday for a pivotal AFC West showdown against the Broncos. At 5-1, the Chiefs are still in a strong position in the division, but they’ll need a much sharper performance to keep their momentum going.
After turning in one of the most bizarre offensive outings of the Mahomes era, Kansas City has plenty of things to clean up. From protecting Mahomes and getting the ground game back on track to finding ways to generate explosive plays, the Chiefs have a lot of work to do before taking on another tough divisional opponent.
Main Image: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
