The Seahawks sent plenty of mixed signals this week regarding the question of whether running back Zach Charbonnet would play on Sunday. On Friday, the decision came.
He will not play.
Charbonnet, who suffered a torn ACL in the divisional-round win over the 49ers in January, returned to practice on October 1. He was moved to the active roster this week, and he fully participated in practice on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
“Zach is going to have a full week’s worth of reps, so that’s exciting,” coach Mike Macdonald told reporters on Monday. “There is a possibility that you can see him on Sunday in some capacity, so that is exciting.”
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Macdonald’s explanation created the impression that Charbonnet not playing on Sunday was the plan all along.
“We’re going along with the plan,” Macdonald said. “Plan was to get a great week’s worth of work and see where we’re at. We’re going to take it into next week. It’s part of the plan. Zach’s doing great and we’ll go into next week and see how it goes.”
The situation doesn’t violate the injury-reporting rules, even if the Seahawks arguably created the impression Charbonnet would play.
Actually, the Seahawks could have milked the uncertainty for two more days. Charbonnet could have been listed as questionable on Friday, with the decision announced on Sunday that he won’t be among the active players.
Still, it feels odd. Especially since Ian Rapoport of ESPNFL said on Friday’s Pat McAfee Show that Rapoport expects Charbonnet to “play and play a lot” on Sunday night. (The clip apparently was deleted from Twitter, but it’s still in the YouTube version of the episode.)
At a time when more and more fans are skeptical of the impact of gambling and prediction-market influences on the flow of information (and/or misinformation), this is another tangible piece of grist for the tinfoil-hat mill.
Chiefs Clips
Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III dealt with blood clots in his lungs in high school. He thought his football career would be over, before it even got started.
During his Friday press conference, he was asked about Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is currently dealing with blood clots in his lungs.
“Yeah, honestly, just stay positive,” Walker said. “You know, obviously, I guess you know about what happened in high school, like, with the blood clots and everything. And he went on the flight, huh, and everything? Yeah, that’s crazy.
“You know, honestly, just stay positive, and, you know, do all the things necessary that he need to do, like, to get his body back right. But, yeah, I’ll be praying for him, because that’s not something, you know, we should take lightly.”
Walker’s reaction to the fact that Hurts flew to London and back again isn’t uncommon. And with neither the Eagles nor the league providing any real clarity on how that came to be, everyone will have to wait for the results of the investigation requested by the NFL Players Association.
If, of course, the results of that investigation are shared with the public.
Entering Week 7, three teams are undefeated. If three teams exit Week 7 undefeated, it will be a rarity.
The 49ers take their 6-0 record to Atlanta. The 5-0 Chiefs face the Seahawks in Seattle. The 5-0 Vikings play the Colts in Minneapolis.
Via NBC Sports research, only twice since the merger have three or more teams been undefeated through seven weeks of a season (with the exception of the 1982 strike year).
In 2009, three teams were unbeaten through seven weeks: the Saints, Colts, and Broncos. In 2015, five teams were perfect through seven weeks: the Panthers, Packers, Broncos, Patriots, and Bengals.
On both occasions, two of the unbeaten teams through seven weeks made it to the Super Bowl. In 2009, it was the Colts and the Saints. In 2015, the Panthers and the Broncos played in the Super Bowl.
The 49ers last went 7-0 in 2019. That year, they made it to the Super Bowl, losing to the Chiefs. The Chiefs last went 6-0 in 2024, when they made it to the Super Bowl for the third straight year, losing to the Eagles. The Vikings last went 6-0 in 2009. They lost to the Saints in the NFC Championship.
Kenneth Walker will be back on the field in Seattle on Sunday for the first time since leaving the Seahawks for the Chiefs as a free agent, but Zach Charbonnet won’t be joining his former teammate as an active participant.
Charbonnet was activated from the physically unable to perform list this week, but head coach Mike Macdonald said that Charbonnet is not ready to play in a game yet and has been ruled out for Sunday. Charbonnet is returning from a torn ACL. Emanuel Wilson, George Holani, Velus Jones, and Robert Henry will be the available backs for Seattle.
While Charbonnet is out, safety Nick Emmanwori’s status for Sunday is up in the air. He was added to the injury report on Friday with a knee issue and is listed as questionable to face the Chiefs.
Linebackers Drake Thomas (ankle) and Chazz Surratt (calf) have also been ruled out. Linebacker Connor O’Toole (hamstring) and quarterback Drew Lock (right elbow) are listed as questionable.
The Chiefs will not have three players for Sunday’s matchup against the Seahawks.
Head coach Andy Reid said in his press conference that receiver Rashee Rice (hamstring/knee), offensive lineman Jaylon Moore (concussion protocol), and running back Brashard Smith (hamstring) have all been ruled out for Week 7.
Rice and Moore were not able to practice all week.
Rice has been sidelined since suffering his injury against the Raiders on Oct. 4. He has 13 receptions for 190 yards with a touchdown so far this season.
As for Smith, Reid noted the running back injured his hamstring on Thursday. Practice squad running back Jaydn Ott is likely to be elevated to the active roster this weekend.
With the Chiefs facing the Seahawks on Sunday night, Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has the unenviable task of scheming to slow down Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
No one has really been able to do that over the last two seasons, as the reigning AP offensive player of the year currently leads the league in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
“He’s elite, really elite,” Spagnuolo said in his Thursday press conference, via transcript from the team. “There’s a lot of big-name wide receivers out there in the NFL, and just in talking with people and you ask questions — and Mike Macdonald’s a good friend and [Seahawks assistant head coach] Leslie Frazier in Seattle — but everything that comes back about him as a person [is] high character. And you have that kind of talent and that kind of high character, that’s a pretty good thing to have. And then you’re on the other side of it, it’s a pretty tough thing to defend against.
“So, we’ve got a lot of respect for him.”
In six games, Smith-Njigba has tallied 49 receptions for 717 yards with seven touchdowns. His lowest output of the season has been five catches for 76 yards, which came in the victory over the Chargers on Oct. 4.
We’ll see if the Chiefs can keep him under that on Sunday night.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald knows how good a running back he’ll be facing when he coaches against the Chiefs on Sunday night.
Madonald coached Kenneth Walker in Seattle, Walker won the Super Bowl MVP at the end of last season, and then Walker left for Kansas City, where he’s gaining yardage a record-breaking pace.
“Ken’s playing really great football,” Macdonald said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I think it’s a combination of, you see the stats and you’re like, man, that’s a lot of stats. And then you turn the tape on and see how they’re playing and how he’s playing and you’re like, ‘That makes sense. No one has tackled this guy yet.’ It’s the things we knew about Ken, that he does really well. He’s so strong, he’s decisive, he’s got great vision. He’s also come alive in the pass game. They’re doing a great job with him. He’s playing probably at the highest level in the league right now.”
Macdonald said his defense had a big challenge on Sunday night.
“It’s got to be a team effort on defense,” Macdonald said. “It’s gonna take waves of Seattle defense to eliminate those explosive plays he’s been able to create.”
Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice remains out of practice, putting his potential availability for Sunday’s game against the Seahawks in jeopardy.
Rice is dealing with hamstring and knee injuries. He has not played since the Oct. 4 win over the Raiders. He has 13 receptions for 190 yards in four games so far this year.
Tight end Travis Kelce (ankle) remained limited on Thursday.
Right tackle Jaylon Moore (concussion) did not practice.
Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (knee) and linebacker Cooper McDonald (knee) were also limited.
Defensive back Chamarri Conner (knee), guard Trey Smith (hip), receiver Cyrus Allen, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes (knee) were all full.
Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet is back on the active roster, nine months after he suffered a torn ACL.
The Seahawks officially activated Charbonnet from the physically unable to perform list today, making him eligible to play on Sunday night against the Chiefs.
Charbonnet has been practicing since October 1, so today was the 21-day deadline for Seattle either to activate him today or declare him out for the season. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald hasn’t committed to playing Charbonnet on Sunday night, but he sounded optimistic about it this week.
“Zach is going to have a full week’s worth of reps, so that’s exciting, and there’s a possibility that you could see him on Sunday in some capacity, so that’s exciting,” Macdonald said.
Last year Charbonnet had 184 carries for 730 yards and 12 touchdowns. Kenneth Walker was the Seahawks’ leading rusher last season, but Charbonnet was often the player they turned to in short-yardage and goal-line situations. His return should be big for Seattle’s offense, which has struggled without both Walker and Charbonnet.
With Walker now leading the league in rushing for the Chiefs, the return of Charbonnet for Seattle while the team travels to face Kansas City and Walker would add another element to a very big game coming on Sunday night.
Seahawks tight end Elijah Arroyo, who is dealing with a shoulder injury, was placed on injured reserve to make room on the 53-player roster for Charbonnet. Arroyo is expected to have surgery and miss the rest of the season.
Kansas City left tackle Josh Simmons is going to be placed on injured reserve with the back injury that has kept him sidelined all season.
Chiefs vice president of sports medicine and performance Rick Burkholder made the announcement with a prepared statement on Thursday.
“Josh worked his tail off,” Burkholder said. “He worked diligently with my staff every day and has improved to the point where he returned to practice in a limited capacity last week. However, we feel that he’s plateaued in the rehab process as he’s trying to get to the final steps of recovery with return to competition, and he’s just not there yet.”
Simmons is not currently slated for surgery, with the IR stint designed to give him more time to rehab and get back to his top performance level.
Burkholder explained that Simmons first reported discomfort in his calf on Aug. 17, which the team’s medical staff then determined was actually being caused by an issue in his lower back. The discomfort occurred in the same leg that had suffered a torn patellar tendon in 2024 while at Ohio State. An MRI confirmed that was the case, with Simmons diagnosed with a bulging disc in his lower back. But the disc was higher than is usually seen in offensive linemen, which complicated the process.
After rehabbing since then, Simmons is now at the point where he still needs more time. So, everyone was in agreement that the left tackle could use some time on IR.
“He’ll continue with the rehab process with the goal of returning to play at the high level that he achieved in the past,” Burkholder said.
Simmons, the No. 32 overall pick of the 2025 draft, has appeared in eight games so far in his career.
Undrafted rookie Kahliil Benson has started all five games this season at left tackle for the Chiefs so far in 2026.
