Instant observations from Seahawks’ preseason win over Chiefs

Aug 15, 2025, 9:57 PM | Updated: Aug 16, 2025, 1:09 am

Seattle Sports

SEATTLE – The Seattle Seahawks continued their preseason slate with a dominant 33-16 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday night at rain-soaked Lumen Field.

Recap | Box score

What stood out from the game? Here are some instant observations:

A sharp debut for 1st-string offense

The Seahawks couldn’t have scripted a better cameo for their new-look starting offense. Playing its lone series of the preseason so far, Seattle’s first-string offense already looked in regular-season form, churning out an exceptionally sharp 10-play, 81-yard touchdown march.

Zach Charbonnet rushed five times for 45 yards and a touchdown on the drive, taking advantage of clear running lanes and ample room to maneuver up front. He set the tone with a 13-yard gain on the opening play and then capped the drive with a 15-yard TD through a gaping hole on the left side, aided by a well-executed kickout block from tight end Eric Saubert.

.@Seahawks offense looked flawless with Sam Darnold under center in their opening drive 👏

Watch on @NFLNetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/v33lfq3z1o

— NFL (@NFL) August 16, 2025

And with the run game in rhythm, Sam Darnold was crisp, accurate and efficient in his Seahawks preseason debut. Seattle’s new QB1 completed all four of his passes for 34 yards, including back-to-back play-action bootlegs where he hit fullback Robbie Ouzts for 13 yards on the left side and then tight end Elijah Arroyo for 9 yards on the right.

The whole drive seemed to perfectly encapsulate new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s vision – a productive wide-zone rushing attack, an efficient play-action passing game and an offense that avoids negative plays and places itself in good position to keep the chains moving.

Bobo and Young shine with big nights

Jake Bobo and Dareke Young are both battling for back-end spots in a competitive wide receiver room. And both did plenty to help their cases on Friday night.

Bobo had a pair of touchdown receptions, snaking his way into the end zone for a 12-yard TD on a wide receiver screen pass and then making a leaping catch on a fade route for another 12-yard TD. Bobo also had a 20-yard punt return – which marked his first kick or punt return since his 2022 senior season at UCLA.

Young had three receptions for a team-high 52 yards, including a 24-yard gain on a slant route.

He did it. AGAIN. 😤 pic.twitter.com/mzXjIs0Fyb

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 16, 2025

Holani and Martinez have productive showings

Locked in a battle for the third running back spot, George Holani and Damien Martinez both had strong nights.

Holani, who had a standout performance in the preseason opener, broke a 30-yard gain on his first run and finished with 49 yards on five carries.

Martinez, meanwhile, rebounded from an underwhelming showing last week. The rookie 217-pound back rushed for 50 yards and a TD on 11 carries, while adding two catches for 14 yards.

DAMIEN FOR 6. @damienfor6 pic.twitter.com/FKD8htI2Ky

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 16, 2025

Safeties deliver the boom

In its lone series, Seattle’s starting defense gave up a pair of third-down conversions that allowed the Chiefs to drive into the red zone. But after that, the Seahawks’ starting safety duo delivered back-to-back punishing hits that ended the drive.

On a third-and-4, Coby Bryant raced in to make an open-field tackle that stopped veteran wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster just short of the first-down marker. And on the ensuing fourth-and-1 play, Julian Love met fullback Carson Steele in the air and stonewalled him for no gain to force a turnover on downs.

Julian Love stuffs the play to force a turnover on downs 😤

Watch on @NFLNetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/C6UsLQ7tNd

— NFL (@NFL) August 16, 2025

Pili makes a splash play

Brandon Pili, a 6-foot-3, 334-pound nose tackle, continued his strong push for a roster spot with a highlight-reel play. With Kansas City backed up on its own 2-yard line, Pili burst through the line of scrimmage and tackled veteran running back Elijah Mitchell in the end zone for a safety.

🙏

We’ll take 2. pic.twitter.com/6Trr4QTr2c

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 16, 2025

Milroe watch

With rookie third-string quarterback Jalen Milroe’s tantalizing athleticism, the Seahawks may look for creative ways to get him on the field in the red zone or in third-and-short situations. They did just that on the opening touchdown drive, bringing in Milroe to convert a third-and-1 QB sneak. Milroe and Darnold both broke the huddle on the play, with Milroe hurrying to take the snap under center and pushing forward into the line for a 2-yard gain.

Milroe also quarterbacked the final four series for Seattle, but he didn’t get many opportunities to throw or scramble, likely due to both the rainy conditions and a lopsided score that prompted the Seahawks to run out the clock on their final two possessions. Milroe completed 3 of 5 passes for 46 yards and finished with five carries for 18 yards. He made a pair of nice throws, but was off-target on his two incompletions.

Extra points

• Center Olu Oluwatimi, who has been dealing with a back injury, continued to remain sidelined. That meant the starting offensive line was the same as it was in the preseason opener: Josh Jones at left tackle, Grey Zabel at left guard, Jalen Sundell at center, Anthony Bradford at right guard and Abraham Lucas at right tackle. Jones is filling in for Charles Cross, who is working his way back from finger surgery.

• Rookie wide receiver Tory Horton had one catch for 12 yards before exiting with an ankle injury that head coach Mike Macdonald indicated wasn’t serious. “He could’ve gone back in,” Macdonald said. “We just shut him down. He wanted to go back in. That was my call.”

• Tight end/fullback Brady Russell showcased his versatile skill set with a 17-yard reception, a tackle in kick coverage and a nice block on one of Holani’s runs.