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SEATTLE – The Chiefs controlled the tempo throughout Sunday afternoon at Qwest Field and tallied a 21-point fourth quarter as they registered a convincing 42-24 win over the Seahawks, breaking a four-game winless stretch on the road. Kansas City held a 41:03 to 18:57 advantage in the time of possession battle and outgained the Seahawks 503 to 288 in total offense as the Chiefs move to 7-4 overall in the 2010 season.

 

QB Matt Cassel and WR Dwayne Bowe continued their stellar offensive play for the Chiefs as they connected for three TDs, notching seven, 36 and nine yard scoring plays. The three TDs were a career high for Bowe and gave 14 TDs on the season, a Chiefs single-season record. He registered 170 receiving yards on 13 receptions during the contest, joining WRs Jerry Rice and Jimmy Smith as only the third player since ’90 to register 13 catches, 170 yards and three TDs in a game.

Cassel completed 22 of 32 passes for 233 yards and tied a career high with four TDs and no interceptions, good for a 129.3 QB rating, his third straight 100.0-plus passer rating performance. RB Jamaal Charles eclipsed the 100-yard plateau for the second time in 2010 with 173 yards on 22 carries with one TD and became the third back in Chiefs history to register back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns. He now has 1,021 yards on the season.

Kansas City took a 7-0 lead on the opening drive as Cassel completed four of five passes, including a seven-yard TD pass to cap the seven-play, 72-yard drive to Bowe, giving the Chiefs the early lead with 11:31 left in the first quarter. That TD extended Bowe’s franchise-record streak of games with a TD catch to seven contests.

The Chiefs defense stepped up on Seattle’s first offensive drive. The Seahawks returned the kickoff to the Kansas City 48-yard line. On third and one, LB Derrick Johnson and the Chiefs stuffed RB Marshawn Lynch for no gain. On fourth down, CB Brandon Carr broke up a QB Matt Hasselbeck pass intended for WR Golden Tate, giving the Chiefs the ball on the Kansas City 38-yard line.

Charles scampered 27 yards up the sideline to open the next drive. A clipping penalty drove the Chiefs back, eventually setting up a 43-yard K Ryan Succop FG attempt. The kick attempt was blocked and recovered by Kansas City, giving the Seahawks the ball on their own 38-yard line.

The Chiefs defense forced a three and out as CB Jackie Bates broke up a third-down pass, taking over on the Kansas City 24-yard line after the punt from Seattle’s Jon Ryan.

The Chiefs were forced to punt and Seattle CB Kennard Cox broke through the line and blocked the ball off P Dustin Colquitt’s foot. Seattle S Earl Thomas recovered the ball at the Kansas City 10-yard line and ran it into the end zone for a Seahawks TD, tying the game at 7-7 with 0:31 left on the clock in the first quarter.

Faced with third and one from its own 48-yard line, a false start penalty moved the Chiefs back five yards. Cassel connected with Bowe for 22 yards on the third-down play, moving the Chiefs into Seattle territory. With third and 10 in front of them, Cassel found Bowe for 11 yards to the Seattle 10-yard line to pick up another third down for the Chiefs. On third and goal from the one, DT Shaun Smith took the handoff from the fullback position and rumbled into the end zone to put the Chiefs up 14-7 with 7:18 left in the first half.

The Seahawks picked up one first down before they had to punt the ball to the Chiefs. Cassel hit RB Thomas Jones for 11 yards out of the backfield and then Cassel scrambled for 23 yards to the Seattle 46-yard line. On third and six, Cassel connected with Bowe for six yards and a first down to keep the Chiefs drive moving. On the very next play, Cassel found a wide-open Bowe streaking down the right sideline for a 36-yard TD to put the Chiefs up 21-7 with 1:12 left to play in the first half.

S Kendrick Lewis recorded his first career interception as he picked off a Hasselbeck pass. On the second play of the Chiefs series, Charles coughed up the football, marking just the fourth lost fumble of the season for the Chiefs. It was recovered by Seattle at the KC 43-yard line. From there, the Seahawks took two long attempts at the end zone but both passes were incomplete. K Olindo Mare converted a 43-yard FG as time expired in the first half to make the score 21-10 in favor of the Chiefs.

Seattle came out of the gate quick in the second half as Hasselbeck found WR Ben Obomanu for 52 yards to the Kansas City 19 yard-line. Hasselbeck then found TE Chris Baker for a 13-yard TD pass after a defensive pass interference penalty, making the score 21-17 with 14:03 left in the third quarter.

Kansas City picked up a first down after Charles picked up 14 yards on back to back runs, but the drive stalled, forcing a Colquitt punt. Hasselbeck found Obomanu for 10 yard to the Seattle 43-yard line. Smith dropped Hasslebeck for a three-yard loss, marking Smith’s first sack of the season and third of his career. On the next play, CB Travis Daniels dove in front of a third-down Hasselbeck pass to knock it down, nearly intercepting it. A replay review confirmed that the ball had hit the ground on the play. The two teams traded punts from there.

Hasselbeck completed passes of 13 and 11 yards to WR Brandon Stokley before Seattle was forced to punt. Charles picked up five yards on first down, putting him over the 100-yard plateau for the second time in 2010. Facing third and six, Cassel scrambled out of the pocket and found Bowe for eight yards and a first down. Later in the drive, Charles rattled off a 29-yard gain on third and three to get to the Seattle 12-yard line. Facing third and inches from the three-yard line, Charles stiff-armed a Seattle defender and bolted into the end zone to put the Chiefs up 28-17 with 14:54 left to play in the game.

On the Seahawks next drive, LB Derrick Johnson sacked Hasselbeck and forced a fumble. LB Tamba Hali recovered at the Seattle 24-yard line and returned it two yards to the 22-yard line. Charles picked up 13 yards on two runs and Cassel then hit Bowe for nine yards and his third TD of the day to put the Chiefs up 35-17 with 12:43 left in the game.

As the Seahawks were moving the ball, Daniels stepped in front of a Hasselbeck pass for an interception and returned it four yards to the Kansas City 36-yard line. The Chiefs were forced to punt after the takeaway. On the first play after the punt, Hasselbeck found WR Ben Obomanu for an 87-yard TD reception to make the score 35-24 with 10:16 left in the contest.

After the Seattle score, Cassel led the Chiefs on a 10-play, 80-yard drive that saw a 17-yard Cassel-to-Bowe connection on third and one. RB Thomas Jones picked up 15 yards to move the Chiefs into the Red Zone. On second and three from the six-yard line, Cassel found TE Tony Moeaki for a six-yard TD, his first reception of the day, to put the Chiefs up 42-24 with 3:36 left in the game.

The Chiefs defense stopped the Seahawks on a fourth-and-two attempt to regain possession at their own 49-yard line with 2:39 left to play in the game. The Chiefs couldn’t run out the clock and punted the ball to Seattle. After an offensive holding penalty, the Seahawks knelt out the clock to five the Chiefs the 42-24 victory.