On Sunday night, the Seahawks needed to make a statement. 

Mission accomplished. 

The Chiefs entered Lumen Field unbeaten and left battered, losing 20–3 to a Seattle team hellbent on getting back into a suddenly intriguing NFC West race. With the win, the Seahawks broke a two-game skid and are now 4–3, two games back of the 49ers, who lost Sunday for the first time this season, 29–20, to the Falcons. 

The Seattle team we saw Sunday night was reminiscent of the dominant, suffocating team that raised the Lombardi Trophy in Santa Clara last February. The run game was solid, but the defense was excellent against Patrick Mahomes, the team’s signature player who did little, throwing an interception while going 19-of-33 for 165 yards. Then there was Kenneth Walker III, the NFL’s leading rusher and the Seahawks’ Super Bowl LX MVP. Seattle’s front seven shut down Walker, limiting him to 36 yards on 2.6 yards per carry.

Offensively, quarterback Sam Darnold and star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba showed off the game’s most prolific connection. Smith-Njigba torched man coverage one snap after another, catching nine passes for 150 yards and a touchdown, beating first-round rookie Mansoor Delane to the corner. Darnold threw an end-zone interception but was terrific otherwise with 257 yards on 9.2 yards per attempt.

Seattle’s overall effort was its best of the year, showing why the Seahawks are not only a threat to once again make a deep playoff run, but why they could also push San Francisco in the division. 

To that point, the 49ers might not have only one significant pursuer. Earlier on Sunday, the injury-riddled Rams went to Las Vegas and scored 35 points in a double-digit win over the Raiders. At 3–4, Los Angeles is still in a significant hole, but the Rams had to start somewhere.

Los Angeles still has major obstacles, including being without receiver Davante Adams, defensive lineman Kobie Turner and edge rusher Myles Garrett for the foreseeable future. However, the Rams also have a favorable schedule in the coming weeks, facing the Chargers, Commanders and Cardinals. 

Back to Seattle, though, and what may lie ahead for the defending champions. The Seahawks put their mini-bye before this week to good use and should get running back Zach Charbonnet back next weekend after activating him off injured reserve. Charbonnet hasn’t played since the postseason, tearing his ACL in Seattle’s divisional round win over the 49ers en route to the Super Bowl.

The Seahawks continue their three-game homestand next week, with the high-octane Bears coming in before hosting the Cardinals. After that, Seattle heads to Las Vegas to visit the Raiders before heading to San Francisco for a key Week 12 battle. Notably, the Seahawks will be coming off their bye week for that matchup.

Ultimately, the 49ers hold the keys. They already beat Seattle and Los Angeles on the road (the Rams’ designated home game in Australia). San Francisco still has a few easier games to play, including three of its final four against the Chargers, Eagles and Cardinals, who going into Monday night are a combined 4–15. 

If the 49ers play to their ability, the Seahawks will need a strong push, which almost certainly includes winning the rematch between the two powers. It won’t be a road paved in diamonds. 

But Seattle also knows what it takes to win in tough moments, much like Sunday night. The Chiefs entered the game with the league’s top-ranked offense and walked out embarrassed, scoring three points, zero touchdowns and racking up 213 total yards. Over the first six weeks, Kansas City was averaging 414 yards. If the Seahawks can bloody Mahomes and the Chiefs, they can do it against any team in the league, including San Francisco.

The 49ers are off to a hot start in the race for the NFC West crown. But don’t overlook the Seahawks, who just made a move and might have a strong finishing kick on the way.