Week 7 preview: Seahawks vs Chiefs, prediction, odds and injury report

By Kyle Alm. Published 2026-10-18, updated 2026-10-26.

Our pick: Kansas City 24, Seattle 20. Why. Not advice.

Final: Seahawks 20, Chiefs 3. We picked Kansas City 24-20 and had no total lean, so the winner was wrong. The preview said that if Seattle won the turnover battle it could win this; the turnovers were even, one apiece, and Seattle won by 17 anyway, on a defense that held Kansas City to 213 yards and an offense that converted 11 of 16 third downs and kept Sam Darnold clean, with no sacks after ten in two games. Seattle covered as a 3-point favorite in our game-morning number, and in DraftKings’ final number in ESPN’s game data (Seattle -3, total 43.5), and the 23 points went well under both totals. The recap has what decided it; the preview below is as written before kickoff.

Seattle is 3-3 and has lost three of its last four, all by three points or fewer, the last 17-14 in overtime at Denver on Thursday night. Kansas City is 5-0 after beating the Chargers 22-6 at home on October 18, with a bye in Week 5. This is the first look, written the morning after the Denver game and nine days before kickoff, which is Sunday, October 25, at 5:20 p.m. Pacific on NBC. It was updated after that game, on Tuesday, October 20, on Thursday, October 22, with the first practice reports, on Friday, October 23, with Kansas City’s game statuses, Seattle’s Thursday report and Friday’s line, and on Saturday, October 24, with Seattle’s game statuses, Anthony Bradford’s activation and Saturday’s line. The day-by-day table is on the injury report.

The injury picture

Both teams’ Wednesday and Thursday practice reports and Kansas City’s Friday game status report are in; Seattle’s Friday report, with its statuses, was not posted by 2:25 p.m. Pacific on October 23.

Seattle. On its Friday report, Seattle ruled out Zach Charbonnet (knee), who was full all week, and linebackers Drake Thomas (ankle) and Chazz Surratt (calf). Safety Nick Emmanwori (hip), new and limited Friday, outside linebackers DeMarcus Lawrence (knee), Uchenna Nwosu (hip) and Connor O’Toole (hamstring) and quarterback Drew Lock (right elbow) are questionable. Of Charbonnet, Mike Macdonald said Friday, “We’re going along with the plan,” and “No setback” (per the club). Anthony Bradford has no designation, and Seattle activated him from injured reserve on Saturday, waiving receiver Montorie Foster Jr., and elevated linebacker Jimmy Ciarlo and defensive back Trevon Diggs from the practice squad, per the club. Earlier in the week: on Thursday, October 22, Seattle placed tight end Elijah Arroyo, who hurt his shoulder in the second quarter at Denver, on injured reserve and activated Zach Charbonnet from the physically unable to perform list, per the club, which says the move does not guarantee Charbonnet plays. On the club’s report, Charbonnet was a full participant Wednesday and Thursday, Anthony Bradford went from limited on Wednesday to full on Thursday, as did Tyrice Knight, Rashid Shaheed and Beau Stephens, and linebackers Drake Thomas (ankle), Chazz Surratt (calf) and Connor O’Toole (hamstring) did not practice either day. DeMarcus Lawrence (knee) and Uchenna Nwosu (hip) were new on Thursday’s report, both limited, and Drew Lock (right elbow) was limited both days. Looking back to Monday, October 19: Mike Macdonald said Arroyo is “going to be out a significant amount of time. How long that is, I’m not sure.” Right guard Anthony Bradford, on injured reserve since September 23, was designated to return to practice on Monday, and Macdonald said, “if he has a good week, he’s going to play a significant amount, if not the whole game.” Of Charbonnet, then still on the physically unable to perform list, Macdonald said he would get a full week of practice and “there’s a possibility that you could see him on Sunday in some capacity.” Linebacker Drake Thomas (ankle) missed the Denver game, as did Chazz Surratt (calf), and Tyrice Knight played in Thomas’ place; on Thomas, Macdonald said, “He’s doing well. No update for Drake, but we’ll see on Wednesday.” Rookie running back Jadarian Price, on injured reserve, is eligible to return after this game: “We’ve got one more game, then we’ll go from there.” The quotes are from the club’s report on Monday’s press conference. The full day-by-day table goes on the injury report as each club posts.

Kansas City. Kansas City beat the Chargers 22-6 on October 18. Per the club’s October 19 recap, tackle Jaylon Moore (concussion) left that game early, and tight end Travis Kelce “sustained an ankle injury early in the contest, but he managed to play through it and didn’t miss any time.” On the Chiefs’ Friday report for the Chargers game, receiver Rashee Rice (hamstring, knee) did not practice all week and was out, tackle Josh Simmons (back) was out, and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (knee) was questionable; Sneed forced a fourth-quarter fumble in the game, per the club. Patrick Mahomes (knee) was a full participant all week with no designation, and defensive lineman Peter Woods (neck) was full on Friday. On the Chiefs’ Friday report for this game, Moore (concussion), Rice and running back Brashard Smith (hamstring) are out; Smith was added Thursday as limited and did not practice Friday. Linebacker Cooper McDonald (knee) and Sneed (knee) are questionable after three limited days. Kelce (ankle) was limited all week and has no designation, and Mahomes (knee) was full all week. Simmons, who missed Wednesday for a personal matter, went on injured reserve Thursday, per the Seahawks’ report post.

What the Chiefs have done

Beat Denver 31-10 and Indianapolis 33-30 at home, then won 24-10 at Miami and 30-27 at Las Vegas. Two of the four were decided by three points, against the Colts and the Raiders. Per ESPN’s season figures, Kansas City averages 29.5 points and 421.5 yards a game, has converted 44 percent of its third downs, and has scored on 89.5 percent of its red-zone trips. The Chiefs have thrown nine touchdown passes and two interceptions and have not lost a fumble, and with seven takeaways they are plus five in turnovers.

Kenneth Walker III, whom Seattle drafted in 2022, is on the Chiefs’ roster and wears No. 9, and Travis Kelce is still there. October 25 is Walker’s first game at Lumen Field as an opponent.

The matchups that decide it

Seattle’s ball security against a team that does not give it away. Seattle has turned it over ten times in its three losses, and the turnovers decided the losses at Washington and against San Francisco and the overtime at Denver. Kansas City has two giveaways in four games. Seattle cannot keep giving away possessions to an offense that scores on almost nine of every ten red-zone trips.

Seattle’s protection. Sam Darnold was sacked five times against the 49ers and five more at Denver, where per the club the Broncos hit him 17 times. Mike Macdonald: “The quarterback is getting hit way too much, everybody sees that.” He has ten days to find a fix.

Seattle’s defense against a real offense. Seattle held Denver to 168 yards and the 49ers to 269. Kansas City has scored at least 24 in every game. The Seahawks’ defense has kept them in every game; this is the best offense it has seen.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Twelve catches for 134 yards at Denver, his fifth 100-yard game in six. He is the reliable part of Seattle’s offense.

The line

As of Saturday, October 24, at 2:24 p.m. Pacific, DraftKings has Seattle by 3, total 42.5, moneyline Seattle -148 and Kansas City +124, per ESPN’s game data, and VegasInsider’s consensus is the same; BetMGM, DraftKings, Caesars and FanDuel have Seattle -3, and Bet365, Hard Rock and Fanatics -2.5. It opened Seattle by 3 with a total of 45.5. The spread had held at 2.5 from October 13 through Friday afternoon, apart from a few hours at 1.5 late on October 18, and the total dropped from 44.5 to 42.5 that night, after Kansas City held the Chargers to six points, per VegasInsider’s line-movement chart. Seattle’s DraftKings moneyline was -135 on Tuesday and -142 on Friday. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives Seattle a 47.3 percent chance at home, against 46.8 on Tuesday. Sunday’s inactives can still move it, and the Seahawks odds page has Seattle’s record against the number: 1-3-2 against the spread through six games.

Washington allows sports betting only in person at tribal casinos, and there is no legal online sportsbook in the state. We carry no sportsbook advertising, and the numbers are here because fans ask, not as advice.

Prediction

Kansas City 24, Seattle 20. Seattle’s defense will keep it close, as it has every week, and Lumen Field at night helps. But Seattle’s three losses have come by a combined eight points, all with turnovers at the center of them, while Kansas City had handed it over twice in four games when we made the pick, and has four giveaways in five games since the Chargers game, per ESPN’s game data. If Seattle wins the turnover battle, it can win this. We have no total to lean on yet; we will add an under or over lean when one posts. Not advice. The pick was made on October 16, before Kansas City’s win over the Chargers; we revisit it after Friday’s game status reports.

The game day guide has the NBC details, tickets and getting to Lumen Field. Our Week 6 preview has how last week’s pick held up.

Related: Week 7 recap: Seahawks 20, Chiefs 3 · Seahawks vs Chiefs game day guide: Sunday Night Football at Lumen Field · injury report · Seahawks odds: this week's line and the 2026 record against the spread · Week 6 preview: Seahawks at Broncos, prediction, odds and injury report · news