Tuesday notebook, Week 7: what changed before the Chiefs come to Lumen Field
Seattle had a long weekend after Thursday’s game at Denver and went back to work on Monday, with Kansas City coming to Lumen Field on Sunday, October 25, at 5:20 p.m. Pacific on NBC. It is a normal Sunday week from here: practice reports Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with game statuses on Friday.
Where things stand
Seattle is 3-3 after a 17-14 overtime loss at Denver on October 15, its third loss in four games, all by three points or fewer. It is second in the NFC West, three games behind San Francisco, which beat Washington 23-17 on Monday night to go 6-0. Arizona won 18-16 at the Rams on Sunday, and both are 2-4. Kansas City is 5-0 after a 22-6 win over the Chargers on Sunday, the AFC’s only unbeaten team, per the club.
Mike Macdonald on Monday, per the club’s report, on the days off after Denver: “I think we had some honest conversations, an honest process. I think we’re definitely more aligned as a team than we were a few days ago and I’m excited about where we can go, honestly.” On the offense: “The long answer is, are we running bad plays? No. The plays are fine. It’s how we get to the plays. It’s how we run the plays, how we choose the plays, how we execute the plays.” At Denver, Sam Darnold was sacked five times, hit 17 times and intercepted twice, per the same report.
Injuries
From Macdonald’s Monday press conference, per the club’s injury report:
- Anthony Bradford (right guard) was designated to return to practice from injured reserve on Monday and practiced. “I know normally I’m pretty coy on this one, but it’s pretty straightforward, if he has a good week, he’s going to play a significant amount, if not the whole game,” Macdonald said. Christian Haynes has started at right guard in his place, per the club.
- Zach Charbonnet (knee) is still on the physically unable to perform list, coming back from the torn ACL he suffered in Seattle’s divisional-round win over the 49ers last season. “Zach is going to have a full week’s worth of reps, so that’s exciting, and there’s a possibility that you could see him on Sunday in some capacity,” Macdonald said.
- Elijah Arroyo (shoulder), hurt in the second quarter at Denver: “Elijah, he’s going to be out a significant amount of time. How long that is, I’m not sure.” The team had not decided whether he goes on injured reserve.
- Drake Thomas (ankle), who missed the Denver game: “He’s doing well. No update for Drake, but we’ll see on Wednesday.”
- Jadarian Price, the rookie running back on injured reserve, is eligible to return after Sunday’s game. “No update on JD. We’ve got one more game, then we’ll go from there.”
The first practice report for both teams is due Wednesday afternoon, October 21, and goes on the injury report when it posts.
Roster moves
- Monday: Seattle signed fullback Jackson Acker and tight end Josiah Deguara to the practice squad and released running back Dontae McMillan and receiver Malick Meiga from it, per the club. Acker is an undrafted rookie from Wisconsin whom Buffalo released in August; Deguara, a 2020 third-round pick, has 78 career games, one with the Eagles this season. Bradford’s designation for return is not a roster move; he stays on injured reserve until he is activated.
- Tuesday: none on the club’s transactions page as of Tuesday morning.
The roster was checked against the team’s official page on Tuesday morning. The official page has caught up with Monday’s two releases but not yet with Monday’s two signings, and it still lists Irv Charles on the 53-man roster and Velus Jones Jr. on the practice squad, the reverse of the club’s October 14 announcement. Our roster follows the club’s transactions log and announcements until the page catches up.
The line
As of Tuesday morning, October 20, DraftKings has Seattle by 2.5, with a total of 42.5 and a moneyline of Seattle -135, Kansas City +114 (checked at 6:40 a.m. Pacific through ESPN). VegasInsider’s consensus at the same time was the same, and every book it tracks had Seattle -2.5. It opened Seattle by 3 with a total of 45.5. Per VegasInsider’s line-movement chart, the total fell from 44.5 to 42.5 on the night of Sunday, October 18, after Kansas City held the Chargers to six points. ESPN’s matchup predictor, a model and not a line, gives Seattle 46.8 percent, down from 51.3 on Saturday. Through six games Seattle is 1-3-2 against the number we published each game morning and 3-3 on totals; our odds page has every game, and our pick is in the Week 7 preview. It is here because fans ask, not as advice. Washington allows sports betting only in person at tribal casinos.
What Kansas City said
The Chiefs had not posted Andy Reid’s Monday press conference on their site by Tuesday morning, so these are his words after Sunday’s win, per the club’s recap. On Kenneth Walker III, the running back Seattle drafted in 2022, who ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns: “He’s a stud. I mean, he knows how to run the ball, and knows how to set up runs. There’s an art to that, and a patience that you’ve got to have and vision and all those things that the great ones have.” On the defense, which held the Chargers to 259 yards: “I thought, defensively, we really put the hammer down there, and it was fun to watch.”
Per the Chiefs, Walker leads the NFL with 665 rushing yards, 6.3 yards a carry and seven runs of 20 yards or more, and he has topped 100 yards in four of five games. Patrick Mahomes earned his 100th career regular-season win on Sunday, in his 131st start, and Kansas City has forced multiple takeaways in four of five games.
On injuries, tackle Jaylon Moore (concussion) left Sunday’s game early, and tight end Travis Kelce hurt his ankle early but “managed to play through it and didn’t miss any time,” per the club. Receiver Rashee Rice (hamstring, knee) and tackle Josh Simmons (back) were out against the Chargers. Kansas City’s first report for this game is Wednesday.
Around the league
The two opponents after Kansas City: Chicago, at Lumen Field on Monday night, November 2, won 31-23 at Atlanta on Sunday to go 4-2 and hosts New England (4-2) on Thursday night. Arizona, at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 8, is 2-4 after its win at the Rams and hosts Denver on Sunday. San Francisco plays at Atlanta on Sunday morning.
This week
Practice reports Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons, with game statuses on Friday, October 23. Kickoff is Sunday at 5:20 p.m. Pacific on NBC, with Seattle in its throwbacks. The game guide for Seahawks vs Chiefs has the broadcast, tickets and getting to Lumen Field, and the Bears game guide is up for the Monday night game after it.