Kansas City Chiefs used to be big time rivals with Seahawks

By Leigh Oleszczak | Dec 22, 2018

KANSAS CITY, MO - AUGUST 21: The Seattle Seahawks and the Kansas City Chiefs line up for a punt during the first half of a preseason game at Arrowhead Stadium on August 21, 2015 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /

The Kansas City Chiefs travel to Seattle on Sunday for a date with the Seahawks on Sunday Night Football. While it isn’t much of one now, this used to be a big rivalry for both sides.

The Kansas City Chiefs lead the all-time series against the Seattle Seahawks with a 33-18 record against the team from the NFC West, with their last loss coming in 2002. Since then, it’s been all Chiefs.

Let’s get back to how this used to be a rivalry though.

Before the Houston Texans became the 32nd NFL team in 2002, the Seahawks were a member of the AFC West conference. That meant there were only three divisions in each conference, with the AFC South and NFC South being added when the Texans joined and certain teams being plucked away from their current divisions and being relocated.

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Each division consisted of five teams (except for the AFC Central, which had six) and the AFC West looked the same as it does now, only with the Seahawks added in. This meant that the Chiefs and Seahawks played twice a year every year and became quite familiar with one another.

The realignment meant someone from the AFC West had to go and the Seahawks were ultimately moved to the NFC West. They changed divisions and conferences.

Since the realignment, Kansas City and Seattle have played three times and the Chiefs have one all three of those games. KC won 35-28 in 2006, 42-24 in 2010, and 24-20 in 2014. The last regular season game these two played was a lot of fun, as both had really good defenses and that’s what the game came down to in the end.

Since then, things have changed quite a bit. The Seahawks still have Russell Wilson as their quarterback, but the Chiefs have an entirely new look. Patrick Mahomes is their quarterback and he’s taken the league by storm.

The Seahawks defense is still pretty good, despite most of their big time playmakers departing over the last few years. The Chiefs defense does not have that same luxury. Sure, they still have some stars, but the unit as a whole ranks near the bottom in almost every defensive category.

Speaking of defense, one of the most memorable moments for the Chiefs against the Seahawks was when Derrick Thomas had a franchise high seven sacks in a game versus Seattle. Thomas sacked then Seahawks quarterback (and later Chiefs quarterback) Dave Krieg seven times, but somehow the Chiefs still lost that game.

When these two teams take the field on Sunday night, it might feel like an unknown rival, but for years and years, the Chiefs and the Seahawks were rivals and it was a pretty fun one.

It’s a bummer that Seattle got moved to the NFC when the conference realigned because watching the Chiefs an Seahawks, two very competitive teams over the last half decade, go toe-to-toe every year would have been fun.

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I guess we’ll have to settle for a huge match-up every four years… Unless these two faced each other in the Super Bowl. That’d be something, wouldn’t it?

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