Every week is different, every game is different, and the Kansas City Chiefs continue to find different ways to win on Sundays as they defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks 24-20 Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
Last week against the Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs offense was tasked with matching the physicality of a defensive front that was among the best in the NFL.
On Sunday, the Chiefs defense needed to stop the NFL's No. 1 rushing attack in the Seattle Seahawks, as well as running the football against a defensive front that had only allowed an average of 79 yards rushing per game so far this season.
"I was proud of the big guys and the way they played," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said after the game. "That was this type of game. So we were going to count on the bigs on both sides of the ball and the offensive and defensive lines stepped up and did a nice job."
Alex Smith finished 11 of 16 for 108 yards and wasn't sacked once in this game thanks to the Chiefs offensive line, which along with the running game are the stories of the day.
Jamaal Charles finished the day with 20 carries for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
"We just wanted to go out there and keep (our foot) on the pedal and at every chance we got to go out there and score," Charles said after the game. "Coach [Reid] did a great job of calling a good game plan, he always does. He put us in a situation to make plays.
"We have one of the best coaches in the NFL."
After the game, Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith shared his thoughts on Charles' performance.
"I think the thing that is so undervalued about him is the guy can run so tough," Smith said. "He's so hard to hit and he never seems to take a big shot. He's always falling forward, glancing blows, falling forward."
Defensively, the Chiefs were tasked with trying to slow down "Beast Mode," the nickname given to Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, and after Sunday, Chiefs fans can all understand that nickname a little better.
Lynch was good on Sunday, rushing the ball 24 times for 124 yards. He came into Sunday's game as the NFL's leader in rushing touchdowns with nine, but left Sunday's game without one, which kept the Chiefs' defensive streak of not allowing a rushing touchdown intact.
Chiefs defensive lineman Dontari Poe talked about that streak after the game.
"We have a never-until-the-end attitude," Poe explained. "So the closer they get the more we have to tighten up as a defense. People just fly around and make plays."
Besides not allowing a rushing touchdown yet this season, the Chiefs defense has just simply been dominant inside the red zone.
Before Sunday's game, the Chiefs were only allowing touchdowns on 42.3 percent of drives inside the red zone, which ranked second in the NFL.
On Sunday, the Seahawks came away with just two touchdowns on five drives into the red zone, but it was also three fourth-quarter stops on fourth down that made the difference in the game.
Of those three plays, perhaps the biggest was on fourth-and-1 from the Chiefs 36-yard line with 3:36 remaining in the game.
It was defensive end Allen Bailey, who just signed a four-year contract extension on Saturday, who along with Jaye Howard led the charge to shut down Lynch for no gain on the fourth-down play, giving the Chiefs the ball back and preserving the 24-20 lead late in the game.
"That was a huge momentum swing for the whole team," Bailey said after the game. "Keeping them off the scoreboard and getting that stop. It was just big for us, period.
"It was the right play call. I just ran what coach called and it worked. Sometimes it's that simple."
But the biggest takeaway from Sunday's game is that the Chiefs didn't have to play a perfect game to beat the defending Super Bowl champions.
View photos from the Chiefs Week 11 matchup against the Seahawks
The Chiefs were outgained by the Seahawks in total yards, lost the time of possession, third down and turnover battles, but yet they still walked away with more points on the scoreboard and that's all that matters.
The Chiefs were able to beat one of the best teams in the NFL without playing the perfect game, actually far from it, and that's what good teams do.
"We knew we were going to be put in tough situations," Chiefs safety Eric Berry said of going up against the defending champs. "So we just tried to step up to the plate, everybody did their job and we just leaned on each other and played for the man next to us."
The Chiefs have won five straight and seven of their last eight games, and because the Denver Broncos lost, the Chiefs are tied for the division lead with six regular season games to play.
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A FEW PRESS RELEASE NOTES:
STARTING STRONG: The Chiefs scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the game, marking the second time they've accomplished the feat this season (Nov. 2 vs. New York Jets). Prior to that, the last time they accomplished the feat was at Oakland on Dec. 15, 2013.
Kansas City's opening-drive touchdown marked the first time in 30 games that Seattle has allowed a touchdown on its opponent's opening drive. The last time the Seahawks surrendered an opening-drive touchdown was at Chicago on Dec. 2, 2012.
STOUT DEFENSE ON OPENING DRIVE:The Kansas City defense forced a Seattle three-and-out on the game's opening drive. The Chiefs are 5-1 this season when the defense forces a punt on the opponent's opening drive.
CHIEFS GROUND ATTACK:The Kansas City offense gained 190 rushing yards on 30 carries in the contest, marking the most rushing yards Seattle has allowed since they allowed 205 rushing yards to Tampa Bay on Nov. 3, 2013.
CHIEFS DEFENSE CONTINUES TO THWART 300-YARD PASSERS: Kansas City's defense continues to not have allowed a 300-yard passer through the first 11 weeks of the 2014 season.
PARKER LEADS TEAM IN TACKLES: CB Ron Parker recorded a team-high and career-high 11 solo tackles in the game.
