Kansas City Chiefs vs. Seattle Seahawks: 3 Bold predictions for Week 16

Eight or more total sacks

The Chiefs are tied for the second most sacks this season with 46 and the Seahawks are tied for 14th with 36. Both teams feature some devastating pass rushers and let’s just say that Seattle’s offensive line is still questionable when it comes to protecting the quarterback. It’s a pretty safe bet the Chiefs will finish the game with more sacks than Seattle.

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Kansas City’s defense is talent deficient in the secondary, and part of the reason for that might be because all of the talent is concentrated up front. Chris Jones, a blatant Pro Bowl snub, is capable of bringing pressure from his listed defensive lineman position, but he also can move inside and bring pressure from the middle.

When he does that, he pushes quarterbacks and running backs outside right into the waiting arms of outside linebackers Dee Ford and Justin Houston. Ford was selected to his first Pro Bowl this year thanks to his 11.5 sacks. It’s crazy that he doesn’t even lead the team in that category, though — that would be Jones with 14 sacks.

Then there’s Houston, the most established member of the trio. The former All-Pro only has 6.5 sacks this season, but he’s only played 10 games and has battled injuries for most of the year. While his sack totals have dropped in recent years, Houston is still one of the best outside linebackers in the league. The Chiefs defense also features defensive end Allen Bailey, who has six sacks so far.

The Seahawks really only have two consistent pass rushers, but they’ve developed into a great duo. Fourth-year defensive end Frank Clark has 12 sacks and 21 QB hits this season. Clark reached the ten sack plateau back in 2016 as well but only had nine last season. Now that he’s in a contract year, Clark has put on the finest showing of his young career.

Defensive tackle Jarran Reed didn’t make much of an impact in his first two seasons in the NFL. He recorded just 1.5 sacks in both of those years but has really come into his own now. Reed has 8.5 sacks and 21 QB hits, making him a rising force to contend with. It should be noted though that both of these players are nursing injuries that might limit them on Sunday.

Between the three top pass rushers from Kansas City and the two rising stars from Seattle, both Wilson and Mahomes should keep their heads on swivels. Good thing they’re both elusive players because they’ll need to be scrambling a lot on Sunday.