GAMETIME:7:00 p.m. CT on Friday, August 25
LOCATION:CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Wash.
HOW TO WATCH:CBS
HOW TO LISTEN:101.1 The Fox
As far as preseason games go, this is as real as it gets.
The third preseason game is often called the "dress rehearsal" for the regular season and Friday's game is no different, as the starters are expected to play into the third quarter.
It'll likely be the last time the majority of the starters will hit the field this preseason and one of the final chances for those on the roster bubble to make their case to the coaching staff. The Chiefs will have to trim down their roster from 90 to 53 players on Sept. 2.
The game itself pits Kansas City against an old AFC West foe in the Seattle Seahawks. The two teams met twice a year from 1977 to 2001, with Kansas City winning 30 of the 47 contests. The Chiefs have maintained that success even following Seattle's departure to the NFC, winning three straight regular season games (2006, 2010 and 2014) against the 2013 Super Bowl Champions.
The two clubs often keep it close, with four of the last five regular season games between the two coming down to seven points or less. That narrative held true in the first week of the preseason last year, when Seattle beat Kansas City on a 37-yard touchdown pass as time expired at Arrowhead Stadium.
And though Friday's bout is just another preseason matchup, the Seahawks provide an ample test as Kansas City makes its final preparations for the regular season.
Kansas City is coming off a sound overall performance last Saturday against Cincinnati in which the Chiefs racked up 410 yards of total offense while holding the Bengals to just four field goals.
Quarterback Alex Smith completed eight of nine passes for 83 yards and a touchdown in two drives of work. In three drives under center this preseason, Smith has led a scoring drive each time (two touchdowns and one field goal). He'll have an extended opportunity on Friday night as he and the rest of the starters are expected to play into the second half.
Kansas City's rushing attack was particularly effective against the Bengals, as Charcandrick West and Kareem Hunt combined to run for 153 yards on 15 carries.
The Chiefs will look to build off that performance on Friday night against a Seahawks team that's been a model of success in the NFC of late.
Seattle went 10-5-1 last season, winning the NFC West for a fourth time in the last seven seasons, before falling to Atlanta in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The Seahawks' recipe for success once again centered around a stout defense, much like the Chiefs.
In fact, the Seahawks (16.5) and Chiefs (18.5) rank as the two best scoring defenses in the NFL over the past four seasons.
Kansas City's defense will get a boost on Friday night as the Chiefs welcome back a familiar face in defensive tackle Chris Jones. A fixture on the defensive line last season as a rookie, Jones had surgery on his knee in July and spent much of training camp on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list.
New addition Roy Miller, an eight-year veteran defensive tackle who signed with the Chiefs in early August, will also make his preseason debut on Friday. Miller tore his Achilles tendon last season and has been easing back into action.
The return of both players is an encouraging sight as the games will start to count in just a couple weeks.
Speaking of the Kansas City defense, linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis will return to Seattle for the first time since being traded to the Chiefs on July 28. The Seahawks' fourth round pick in the 2014 Draft, Pierre-Louis played in 34 games for the Seattle over the past three seasons.
It'll also be a homecoming for safety , who played parts of two seasons with the Seahawks from 2011-12 before joining Kansas City in 2013.
The game features a local connection as well, as it'll bring former University of Missouri offensive linemen Mitch Morse and Justin Britt back to the same field. The two spent four years together on the Tigers' offensive line from 2010-13 before Morse took over at center for Kansas City and Britt became a regular on the Seattle offensive line.
The two teams kickoff on national television on Friday night at 7 p.m. CT. Catch the game on CBS or on 101.1 The Fox.
