Hawks fall short
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For a team that didn’t quit Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks sure gave up a lot.
They surrendered 499 yards, four touchdowns, two field goals and a two-point conversion in losing for the third time in four games, a 35-28 defeat against Kansas City.
Defensive shortcomings proved too much for Seattle to overcome, but the Seahawks nearly won anyway. They led 28-27 in the final three minutes thanks to big plays on offense and special teams. Backup quarterback Seneca Wallace tossed three touchdown passes in his first NFL start.
When the game was slipping away in the third quarter, cornerback Kelly Herndon turned a Chiefs botched field-goal hold into a 61-yard touchdown return. And when the Chiefs made the apparent clinching interception in the final two minutes, Seattle receiver Deion Branch stole back the football to give his team one last chance.
It simply wasn’t enough on a day when the Chiefs executed their first punt in the fourth quarter. Kansas City controlled the ball for more than 42 of 60 minutes.
“We battled our hearts out and came up short,” coach Mike Holmgren said.
With its retro sound effects and faded orange seats, Arrowhead Stadium had a 1970s feel even without the Elvis impersonator who sang the national anthem. It might as well have been 2000 for the Seahawks’ struggling defense. That was the year Seattle allowed nearly 400 yards per game on its way to a No. 31 ranking on defense. That team allowed at least 28 points six times; this team has done it five games running.
Both the 2000 and 2006 defenses changed strong safeties after the sixth game. The 2000 team allowed 498 yards to Indianapolis in its first game with Kerry Joseph replacing Reggie Tongue. The current team fared worse by a yard with Jordan Babineaux replacing Michael Boulware.
If the latest lineup change produced no apparent benefit, neither was it disproportionately responsible for Seattle’s overall struggles.
“They were just controlling the clock, running the ball and trying to pound it,” Herndon said. “We gotta be a little more focused, stay in our gaps and work on our tackling.”
Larry Johnson set a Chiefs record with 39 carries. He rushed for 155 yards and three touchdowns. He added a fourth touchdown receiving.
Quarterback Damon Huard, playing despite a groin injury, passed for a career-high 312 yards, one touchdown and a 124.1 rating. Receiver Eddie Kennison caught six passes for 132 yards, including a diving 51-yard grab to set up the Chiefs’ final touchdown.
Tight end Tony Gonzalez added six catches for 116 yards as the Chiefs maxed out at 501 yards, only to give back two yards on clock-eating kneel-downs.
“When you look at time of possession and yards, it was really lopsided,” Chiefs coach Herm Edwards said. “That goes to show you what happens when you miss opportunities and turn the ball over in the wrong area of the field, and give up big plays.”
The Chiefs led 20-14 at halftime and 27-14 midway through the third quarter. Johnson’s 2-yard scoring run had just ended a 13-play, 88-yard drive – a march featuring only one third down – when Wallace tossed the first of his two interceptions.
Kansas City appeared ready to put the game away as Lawrence Tynes lined up for a 38-yard field goal. But everything changed when punter Dustin Colquitt fumbled the snap. Colquitt picked up the ball and attempted a pass. Herndon batted the ball away, gathered it after one bounce and ran 61 yards untouched.
Edwards challenged the touchdown, but referee Peter Morelli said Colquitt had already lost possession when he attempted the pass. That meant Colquitt fumbled twice on the same play, and the ball was live.
The score was suddenly 27-21 instead of 30-14.
“We made it close for no reason,” Chiefs guard Brian Waters said.
The Chiefs continued to stumble. Huard fumbled a snap on third-and-14 to short-circuit one drive. Johnson dropped a third-down pass on another drive, and Tynes missed from 50 yards on the next play.
The Seahawks surged into the lead with Wallace’s 49-yard scoring lob to Darrell Jackson midway through the fourth quarter.
Cornerback Ty Law slipped on the play, leaving Jackson uncovered. The ball fluttered and Jackson looked like a punt returner while waiting at the 10-yard line. He still had plenty of time to score.
The lead was short lived. Kennison answered with a diving 51-yard grab on the Chiefs’ next possession. Johnson ended the drive with his final touchdown, a 3-yard run followed by a successful two-point conversion pass to Gonzalez.
“We knew that the corners had been sitting on the out routes all afternoon,” Kennison said. “We had practiced the pump (fake) during practice and they fell right into our hands.”
Branch gave Seattle one last chance when he stripped the ball from Chiefs defensive end Jared Allen following an interception. But the Chiefs immediately sacked Wallace on a third-and-10 play, and the drive ended with an 8-yard pass to Mack Strong.
“I don’t like losing and I don’t like feeling like I let my team down,” Wallace said. “It’s a tough loss.”