KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Behind a strong second-half defensive effort that stymied Seattle three times on fourth down plays, the Chiefs won their fifth game in a row, beating the Seahawks 24-20 Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.

The victory left the Chiefs with a 7-3 record and with Denver losing to St. Louis, Kansas City is tied for first place in the AFC West with a trip coming up Thursday night against the winless Oakland Raiders.

The Seahawks fell to 6-4, falling further behind division-leading Arizona in the NFC West.

Running back Jamaal Charles scored twice and ran for 159 yards, fueling the Chiefs’ offense that had trouble producing much from quarterback Alex Smith and the passing game against a Seattle defense that forced a pair of Kansas City fumbles.

The Kansas City defense bent but did not break against quarterback Russell Wilson and the Seahawks’ offense. Running back Marshawn Lynch ran for 124 yards and Wilson threw a pair of touchdown passes, but twice the Chiefs held Seattle to no points in first-and-goal situations.

The first half saw the teams move up and down the field on offense with great efficiency, producing three touchdowns and a pair of field goals in seven possessions. After Seattle opened the game with three plays and a punt, the Chiefs held the ball for the next nine minutes, using 15 plays to travel 86 yards before Charles scored on a 1-yard run. Charles was the star of that drive, touching the ball eight times as a runner and receiver and producing 53 of the 86 yards. The PAT kick by Cairo Santos gave the Chiefs a 7-0 lead.

The Seahawks came right back with a long drive of their own, when they used nine minutes to go 90 yards in 16 plays before Wilson connected with wide receiver Doug Baldwin on a 7-yard touchdown play. The key performer for Seattle was Chiefs cornerback Ron Parker. An undrafted free agent out of Newberry College, Parker was signed and released five times by Seattle in three years, before landing with the Chiefs last season and earning a starting spot this year.

Parker struggled in the possession. First, his penalty for illegal use of hands wiped out a Kansas City sack. Then, he allowed the biggest big play in the possession, a 24-yard completion to wide receiver Jermaine Kearse where Parker went for the interception rather than the tackle and a short gain. On the touchdown play, Parker had coverage on Baldwin in the end zone.

The PAT kick by Steven Hauschka tied the score at 7-7, but Kansas City came back and went up again thanks to a four-play, 80-yard drive with Charles scoring on a 16-yard run. He also had a 28-yard run in the possession, with Smith hitting on passes for 23 yards to tight end Travis Kelce and 13 yards to fullback Anthony Sherman.

Before halftime, Seattle added a pair of Hauschka field goals of 24 and 27 yards. The Seahawks got a chance on the last three-pointer when they forced a fumble by Kelce that was recovered at the Chiefs 47-yard line. Wilson drove the Hawks to a first-and-goal at the Chiefs 9-yard line, but then missed on three throws and Seattle took the field goal on the final play of the half that set the score at 14-13.

Kansas City came out to start the second half with a 12-play drive that ended with a 23-yard field goal from Santos and the Chiefs led by four points. Later in the third quarter, the Seattle defense forced a fumble by Charles that was recovered by the Seahawks at the Chiefs 44-yard line. Five plays later, on a first-and-goal play from the Chiefs 1, Wilson connected with tight end Tony Moeaki for a touchdown and the PAT kick gave Seattle its first lead of the game, 20-17.

Again, the Chiefs answered back and moved 71 yards on just four plays with running back Knile Davis scoring on a 4-yard run. The touchdown was set up by a 47-yard run from Charles with another five yards on a Seattle penalty. Davis scored on the next play and the PAT kick gave the Chiefs a 24-20 lead.

NOTES: Seattle C Max Unger left the game on a cart with just under nine minutes to play with a left leg injury. He was replaced by second-year man Patrick Lewis. … Seahawks WR Ricardo Lockette was ejected late in the third quarter after throwing a punch at Chiefs S Kurt Coleman at the end of a punt return play. … The temperature at game-time was 20 degrees, with a 10-mph wind out of the northwest that made it feel like 10 degrees. … The weather forecast had called for snow over the weekend, so at the urging of the NFL, the Chiefs punted on hosting a NCAA Division II game at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday. The contest between Washburn and Northwest Missouri State was moved back to campus in Maryville, Mo., to protect the Arrowhead turf from being chewed up.