The defending Super Bowl champions close their preseason at Arrowhead. Seattle’s Friday night visit to Kansas City is the Seahawks’ last live football before a Sept. 9 opener against New England that rematches the Super Bowl – which makes this less a game than a final systems check, run mostly by the players still fighting to be on the roster when the banner goes up.
Kansas City has its own August subplot: Patrick Mahomes is working back from injury, and every snap he does or doesn’t take is news. Both teams arrive off narrow Week 2 losses – 19-16 to Tennessee for Seattle, 16-15 to Tampa Bay for Kansas City – and both cut to 53 players on Sunday.
One thing to get straight before Friday: this is a local broadcast, not a national one, and the 5 p.m. Pacific kickoff sneaks up on West Coast viewers. The chart below sorts all of it out.
What Time Does Seahawks vs. Chiefs Start?
Kickoff is 5 p.m. Pacific on Friday, Aug. 28 – the same 5 p.m. on the clock in Arizona, which matches Pacific time in August. At GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium it’s a 7 p.m. Central start, and Eastern viewers are looking at 8 p.m.
What Channel Is the Game On?
There’s no national channel. In the Seattle market, KING 5 carries the broadcast. In the Kansas City market, the game airs on the Chiefs’ local broadcast partner – check your local listings for the station in your area. Everywhere else, the game isn’t on TV at all; streaming is the route.
How to Stream the Game
In-market Seattle fans can also stream the broadcast on the Seahawks Mobile App. Outside the two teams’ home markets, this is one of three Week 3 games streaming live in the ESPN App, which requires an ESPN Unlimited plan, and NFL+ also carries out-of-market preseason games on supported devices – the legitimate options for displaced Seahawks and Chiefs fans, including everyone in Arizona.
Will the Starters Play?
Preseason finales are the lightest night of the summer for front-line players, and a defending champion twelve days from a Super Bowl rematch has every reason for caution. Mahomes’ return from injury adds a genuine question mark on the Kansas City side, but neither team had announced participation plans as of publication – preseason usage is always subject to change.
Roster Battles to Watch
Seattle’s most interesting depth question runs through the backfield, where the post-Kenneth Walker pecking order is still being settled – our Seahawks running back depth chart breakdown covers every name in that race. Beyond the backs, the champs’ final receiver and secondary spots come down to Friday’s tape. For Kansas City, the annual Arrowhead bubble drama lives at receiver and along both lines, with Sunday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline deciding it all.
Quick Answers
Is the game on NFL Network?
Not live. NFL Network’s six live Week 3 games don’t include this one – plan around the local broadcasts, the ESPN App and NFL+.
Why is kickoff so early on the West Coast?
The game runs on Kansas City time: a 7 p.m. Central start at Arrowhead lands at 5 p.m. Pacific.
What else is on Friday?
It’s the busiest night of the preseason – ten games, including the CBS national broadcast – all mapped in our NFL Preseason Week 3 schedule and TV guide.
The Bottom Line
Seahawks vs. Chiefs kicks off Friday, Aug. 28 at 5 p.m. Pacific and Arizona time – 7 p.m. at Arrowhead, 8 p.m. Eastern – on KING 5 in Seattle, Kansas City’s local broadcaster in that market, and the ESPN App or NFL+ everywhere else. It’s the defending champions’ final rehearsal, and possibly a first look at Mahomes’ return, before rosters cut to 53 on Sunday.