5 winners and 2 losers from the Chiefs win over the Seahawks

This week’s Kansas City Chiefs game was a nice Christmas present for Chiefs’ fans. They got an early lead and the game was never in doubt. The defense was able to shut down an inferior offense, holding them to 10 points. The Chiefs' offense wasn’t great, but it did enough to keep this one comfortably in the win column, and they escaped without any major injuries.

At this point in the season, that’s a pretty good day at the office. Here are a few that stood out during Saturday’s 24-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks:

Note: Applying the labels “winners” and “losers” is not intended to be a judgment on the talent or character of any of these players. It’s just a simple way to grade their performance in a single game. No disrespect is intended.

Winners

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Tight end Travis Kelce: It’s almost every week. Every season, Kelce goes for over 100 receiving yards. Against Seattle, most of them came on one drive in the fourth quarter, when the Chiefs essentially put the game out of reach with a touchdown drive. Sure, Kelce had one early catch he left on the field, and he seemed to blame himself, but that was quickly forgotten as Kelce led all receivers in this game.

Wide receiver Kadarius Toney: The stats weren’t eye-popping, but Toney’s presence was felt on the field this week. The route running and suddenness were evidence of a player that can be a big factor down the stretch. He scored the game’s first touchdown this week on the little “pop pass” as he weaved through traffic on the way to the end zone. That’s an element the Chiefs have been missing.

Defensive tackle Chris Jones: Looking like himself after a quiet Week 15, Jones was again the best defensive player on the field. He was nearly unblockable with four quarterback hits on the day, and once again came up big in clutch situations. Seattle had the ball late in the fourth quarter with the clock running down, and Jones sent everyone home with his eleventh sack of the season.

Linebacker Nick Bolton: This week, Bolton was snubbed for the Pro Bowl, and some thought that it would lead to him playing with a little extra edge this week. Well, it might have been the case, as the Chiefs linebacker was everywhere on Saturday, racking up 17 total tackles. It was Bolton’s open-field tackling that shut down Seattle’s opening drive, and he didn’t stop there. Bolton also nearly had a pick on a batted pass during the drive that ended in the Seahawks' only touchdown. When he’s attacking and wrapping up, this defensive unit is able to successfully get off the field.

EDGE George Karlaftis: The rookie added to his NFL-leading batted pass total when he helped shut down the Seahawks on fourth down in the first half. Then he sacked Geno Smith to end another drive. If he can play solid football (as he has all season) and make a couple of big plays like this, it’s going to end up being an excellent rookie season for Karlaftis.

Losers

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Wide receiver Justin Watson: The Chiefs' passing game was just a bit out of sync today, and many of us noticed too many times when the issue seemed to be at least partially with Watson. Watson wasn’t able to catch any of his four targets, which was... less than ideal. Each of his incompletions was on a drive that ended in a punt or turnover on downs. Watson has been a valuable depth player this season, but on this day he was a drive-killer for the Chiefs' passing offense.

Cornerback Joshua Williams: Williams had errors on each of the Seattle scoring drives this week. At the end of the first half, Williams had not one but two penalties that extended the drive. His holding call negated a Mike Danna sack on third down, and his pass interference put them in field goal range. Then, he gave up the fourth-down pass to Treadwell setting up the Seahawks' only touchdown. This was definitely a teaching moment for the rookie, who has been solid but not spectacular in coverage. If he’s able to clean up the mistakes that lead to big completions and costly penalties, he’s got a bright future ahead of him.