KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The calendar says it November, but the Kansas City Chiefs approached their game on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks like it was January.

“It sure felt like a playoff game,” said Kansas City cornerback Sean Smith of the Chiefs 24-20 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks at Arrowhead Stadium. “It was intense from the first play. We expected that, but it’s not what you think will happen in games like this, it’s how you react. I think we did a good job of that.”

The Chiefs have now won five straight games and, with their 7-3 record, find themselves tied for first place in the AFC West after Denver was upset by St. Louis. The Seahawks are 6-4, and they are falling further behind the NFC West leading Arizona Cardinals.

“We approached this game like it was the playoffs,” said Chiefs outside linebacker Tamba Hali. “Coach (Andy Reid) has been talking to us about the type of effort needed every week if you are going to be successful in the playoffs, and that’s what we are trying to build with these games.”

The foundation for the victory was the Chiefs’ running game on offense and another sterling effort from a bend-not-break defense that stopped the Seattle offense on three different possessions in the red zone without allowing a point.

Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles was the offensive star, running 20 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns.

Seattle entered the game with the No. 4 rushing defense in the league, but the Seahawks were unable to slow Charles down. He averaged eight yards per carry and the Chiefs finished with 190 rushing yards.

“To see that happen is out of character for us,” said Seattle head coach Pete Carroll. “All the sudden we’ve got to go back to work and figure out how we are going to stop the running game. It’s been a strength of ours.”

Defensively, the Chiefs allowed Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch 124 rushing yards, and quarterback Russell Wilson ran for 71 yards and threw a pair of touchdown passes.

But the K.C. defense faced three different possessions in the fourth quarter where Seattle had a fourth-down play to move the chains. Two of those plays were in Kansas City territory. But the Seahawks failed to gain a first down on any of those snaps, including getting shut out of a score on three plays from the Chiefs 4-yard line.

What the Chiefs said:

“They are excited but they also know we are getting on a plane to fly out and play a good Oakland team (on Thursday night). We’ve got to make sure we enjoy this, but we have to get ourselves back and ready to go quickly. We understand that.” — Coach Andy Reid.

What the Seahawks said:

“The receivers have no problems getting open; we have to get open on a consistent basis. We have to give Russell (Wilson) enough time to deliver the ball, and he has to deliver the ball on time. It’s a combination of everything. … We’re so much better than what we’re doing right now.” — Wide receiver Doug Baldwin, on the Seattle offense.

What we learned about the Chiefs:

1. The defense continues to mature and grow in many different ways, and it is becoming the foundation of the team and the major reason the Chiefs are riding a five-game winning streak and are tied for first place in the AFC West. They added another game to their streak of not allowing a rushing touchdown. They also allowed only two more scores, making it 16 in 10 games. They did not give up any points in the fourth quarter, maintaining their No. 1 status in the league with just 28 points allowed in the final period.

2. Even with the six sacks they gave up last Sunday in Buffalo, the Chiefs’ pass protection group continues to improve. The line did not allow a Seattle sack of quarterback Alex Smith in 16 passing plays. The unit also continued to provide enough room for running back Jamaal Charles to run, as he pushed his season total to 692 yards on 133 carries.

–RB Jamaal Charles gained 159 yards on 20 carries, his first game this season over the 100-yard mark. It was the 22nd time in his seven NFL seasons that he eclipsed the century mark. Charles’ two rushing touchdowns give him 29 scores over the last two seasons, more than any other offensive player in the league. He has 53 offensive touchdowns in his career and needs three more to pass former WR Chris Burford (55) to become the sixth leading touchdown-maker in franchise history.

–QB Alex Smith threw for just 108 yards, but he was not intercepted and he was not sacked by Seattle. Although Smith was unproductive on the stat sheet, the victory was his 18th since joining the Chiefs before the 2013 season. That is the most regular-season wins in Chiefs history by a quarterback in his first two seasons with the club. Smith’s record as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback is 18-7.

–WR Dwayne Bowe caught just two passes for 18 yards against Seattle, but he influenced the game with big blocks on two different runs by RB Jamaal Charles. That included a downfield block on LB K.J. Wright during a 47-yard gain. Bowe’s block allowed his teammate to run for another 25 yards.

What we learned about the Seahawks:

1. Seattle’s passing game remains in a funk, and Sunday’s game was just another chapter. Quarterback Russell Wilson threw a pair of touchdown passes, but his 32 attempts produced on average just 5.6 yards per throw. The Seahawks’ longest pass play was only 27 yards. It was the fourth consecutive game in which Wilson was unable to throw for 200 yards or more.

2. Center Max Unger went down with a high ankle sprain and a knee sprain in the fourth quarter. That’s a combination that may take some time to heal enough for him to get back in the lineup. That leaves the Seattle offense with a real problem in the middle of that blocking unit. In 14 plays after Unger left the field, the Seahawks managed just 32 yards.

–TE Tony Moeaki caught a 1-yard touchdown pass, his first scoring grab since December 2, 2012, when he found the end zone against Carolina while playing for the Chiefs. It’s also the first catch for Moeaki since that ’12 season.

–S Earl Thomas was all over the field Sunday against the Chiefs, credited with 11 total tackles and two forced fumbles, both recovered by Seattle. Thomas also knocked down a pass.

–WR Doug Baldwin caught six passes, including one for a touchdown. But those receptions produced just 45 yards, or 7.5 yards per catch.