Seahawks 20, Chiefs 3: Seattle wins the downs that keep a game moving

Seattle kept finding another set of downs. Kansas City kept running out of them. The Seahawks' 20-3 win Sunday night handed the Chiefs their first loss, with a third-down comparison that explains much of the distance between the teams.

Seattle converted 11 of 16 third downs. Kansas City converted three of 11. The Seahawks finished with 410 yards to the Chiefs' 213 and held the ball for 35 minutes, 51 seconds, according to the official NFL gamebook.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught nine passes for 150 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown from Sam Darnold. Emanuel Wilson ran for 100 yards and scored from 21 yards out with 3:47 remaining. Kansas City's Kenneth Walker III finished with 36 rushing yards on 14 attempts.

A game controlled between the scoring plays

The possession numbers matter because they describe repeated work, not one spectacular play. Seattle's scoring drives lasted 15, 10, 13 and nine plays. Kansas City scored only on Harrison Butker's 50-yard field goal late in the third quarter.

Seattle was not flawless. It finished without a touchdown on three red-zone possessions, and Darnold threw an interception. Those missed opportunities keep the offensive performance from being a complete one. The defense and the sustained drives left Kansas City little room to exploit them.

The Seahawks improved to 4-3; the Chiefs fell to 5-1. One night does not erase Kansas City's strong start or settle Seattle's season. It does give the Seahawks a substantial win built on a repeatable demand: stay on the field on offense, get off it on defense. On Sunday, they did both.