KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It was one of the coldest games in franchise history, and the Seahawks struggled mightily to get anything going against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in a Christmas Eve clash.
Patrick Mahomes and the high-powered Chiefs offense jumped out to a lead that was never surrendered, as the Seahawks couldn't score a touchdown until the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
Losers of five of their last six games, the playoffs have become increasingly unlikely for a team that was pacing its division at one point this season.
Here are three takeaways from the Seahawks' 24-10 loss:
Losing in the trenches
Geno Smith was running for his life throughout the first half, as it seemed nearly every dropback faced significant pressure from Kansas City's strong defensive line.
Although Ken Walker ended up topping 100 yards, it was tough sledding for the Seahawks' rushing attack for most of the game.
Although the stats might have indicated that the offense moved the ball well, they will need a much better effort against the New York Jets in Week 17 to keep those slim playoff chances alive.
On the other side of the ball, Mahomes faced one of the lowest pressure rates he's seen in years against the Seahawks' front seven
Defensive silver lining
While it was a tough day offensively for the Seahawks, Clint Hurtt's defense battled against arguably the NFL's most dangerous offense.
The Seahawks did outgain Kansas City in yardage, while also holding a tremendous third-down conversion unit to just a 27.3% conversion rate (h/t Michael-Shawn Dugar).
The final two weeks will feature much more favorable opponents for the Seahawks' defense, with the Jets and Zach Wilson's constant struggles before the season finale against the Baker Mayfield-led Los Angeles Rams.
Drive completion
Saturday's game was the ultimate example of how important it is to punctuate drives with points in the NFL.
The Seahawks had three drives end in Kansas City territory in the second half with no points to show for it, and failed a total of three different times on fourth-down conversion attempts.
Jason Myers is 26-of-27 on field-goal attempts this season, but he can only take the field when the offense sets him up to succeed.