Seahawks vs. Chiefs final score takeaway

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Remember that 54-51 Chiefs-Rams shootout back in Week 11? It feels like years ago now, doesn't it? In part because the offensive explosion that was supposed to follow ... hasn't. At least not in an up-and-down-the-field, 60-minute shootout type of way. Instead, we've seen what was thought to be high-powered, unstoppable offenses struggle against more traditional-looking teams. We saw the latest example of that on Sunday night when the came to Seattle and for three quarters, had few answers for the ' run-centric offense and its Rickey Henderson Jersey tenacious, post-Legion of Boom defense. The fourth quarter was a different story -- 41 percent of the points were scored in the final 15 minutes -- but when it was over, Seattle had a well-deserved 38-31 victory, and secured a wild-card spot. Kansas City, meanwhile, will have to wait another week to wrap up homefield advantage throughout the postseason. The Seahawks are scaryIt's a cliche but it's true: wants to face this Seahawks team in January. Last week's lo s in San Francisco was a one-off, and they came into that game riding a four-game winning streak against the , , and . And the gameplan remained virtually unchanged: lean heavily on the run, and let do the rest. A year ago, Wilson was the team's leading rusher with 586 yards. This season he has help; the team used a first-round pick on , but it's been who has done the heavy lifting. He surpa sed 1,000 yards on Sunday night, and Wilson is now fourth in rushing behind Carson, Davis and Penny. Sharing that burden, along with a much-improved offensive line, has made Wilson a much better quarterback; he came into Sunday's game ranked , just behind and . And the Seahawks' offense is the league's most balanced too. They ranked ninth overall, sixth in pa sing and seventh in rushing. And at CenturyLink Field, we saw more balance; the rushing attack controlled Eric Hosmer Jersey the game early and Wilson took over late. Carson finished with 116 yards on 27 carries, including two touchdowns, and Wilson wore out the Chiefs with his arm and his legs. Let's pick it up late in the third quarter with the score tied, 17-17. This was a huge third-down conversion: Just your average 3rd down conversion : on NBC NFL (@NFL) And that was followed by this, which was a preview of what was to come: The connection is STRONG.What a grab! : on NBC NFL (@NFL) Then, early in the third quarter, with Seattle leading, 24-20, Wilson did this: Dangeru s : on NBC NFL (@NFL) That was after Wilson hit for a 45-yard completion. Five plays later, Wilson found tight end in the end zone to make it 31-20. The Chiefs cut the lead to three on the next series, which apparently didn't bother Wilson at all. He promptly led an eight-play drive that featured another bomb to Lockett: SHEESH, Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) And two plays later, a 29-yard one-handed grab by that set up a Carson game-sealing score: OH MY, DOUG BALDWIN : on NBC NFL (@NFL) Wilson has gone through Ozzie Smith Jersey stretches this season where he hasn't needed to throw the ball. But when the Seahawks do need him, he's stepped up in a big way, time and again. Sunday night's performance sends a clear me sage to the rest of the NFC: Good luck stopping the Seahawks, arguably the NFL's most balanced team. You ain't keeping down for longThe great thing about Patrick Mahomes is that he can just about overcome anything. We saw it again in Seattle, where he put the team on his back to the very end. If not for Ru sell Wilson going off, the Chiefs probably would've have won. Instead, Andy Reid is left wondering if his defense is going to cost him a deep playoff run; the unit has been among the league's worst all season. They ranked 27th coming into the game, and they did nothing to improve their standing in Seattle.Mahomes, meanwhile, continued to make his case for NFL MVP. He started slow, something we've seen in recent weeks, but he quickly found his form, something we've never been able to say about a second-year quarterback in his first year as a starter, 16 weeks into the season. It just doesn't happen. But Mahomes also isn't from this planet. To the third quarter, with the Chiefs trailing, 17-10. Here's Mahomes casually finding for a big first down: How did fit that pa s in there? : on NBC NFL (@NFL) That throw has a 10-15 percent completion rate. Unle s you're Mahomes, who a short time later defied the laws of physics on this insane touchdown throw: Only can make this throw Touchdown, ! : on NBC NFL (@NFL) Look at his arm angle! He's like a shortstop going deep in the hole to make the play at first. Unreal. Wil Myers Jersey wut CBS Sports (@CBSSports) Mahomes had just 83 pa sing yards in the first half (including 25 yards on 2 of 8 pa sing in the first quarter). He threw for 76 yards on the Chiefs' first drive of the second half and finished with 273 yards and three scores on the evening. But he wasn't done (of course he wasn't). Down 11 points with just over five minutes to go, Mahomes drove the Chiefs down the field and added one more highlight-reel touchdown to the resume: Confirmed: is an (via ) Yahoo Sports NFL (@YahooSportsNFL) There's more: Patrick Mahomes has now thrown 30 pa s TD on the Tony Gwynn Jersey road this season surpa sing Tom Bradys 29 pa s TD on the road in 2007 for the most in a single season in NFL history NFL Research (@NFLResearch) In the end it wasn't enough, but through no fault of the Chiefs' young quarterback, who has become the league's most exciting player in le s than a season.Playoff implicationsHere are the least-convoluted playoff scenarios: The Seahawks locked up a playoff spot with the victory. They'll host the in the regular-season finale. The Chiefs remain the top seed in the AFC and can wrap up the AFC West and the No. 1 seed with a win over the in Week 17. You can stream that game on fuboTV ( ).