KIRKLAND, Wash. — The situation for the Seattle Seahawks might seem bleak following a tough loss Sunday at Kansas City and what is suddenly a three-game deficit in the NFC West.

But perpetually optimistic coach Pete Carroll predictably came up with another phrase for what awaits the Seahawks now.

“I’m really excited about the way this thing sets up,” Carroll said. “I think most people should be with all of the drama still out there about the division.”

Carroll was referring to the fact that Seattle finishes with five of six games against NFC West foes, beginning with a game Sunday in Seattle against the division-leading Arizona Cardinals.

Arizona is 9-1 while Seattle is 6-4, making the game basically a must-win for Seattle if the Seahawks hope to repeat as NFC West champs.

“These guys are flying high and we’ve got to see if we can find a way to stop them and score on these guys,” Carroll said. “And then we’ll take the next one.”

To beat Arizona, though, Seattle must come through better in critical situations than it did in a 24-20 loss to the Chiefs Sunday.

Seattle outgained Kansas City 372-298, including getting 204 on the ground.

But the Seahawks couldn’t convert on two key fourth downs in the final seven minutes — one from the 2-yard line. Seattle also couldn’t stop Kansas City’s rushing attack as the Chiefs had 190 rushing yards, 159 from Jamaal Charles.

Seattle entered the game fourth in the NFL in rushing defense, yielding 79 yards running per game. But the Chiefs exploited the loss of defensive tackle Brandon Mebane, who is out for the year with a hamstring injury suffered the previous week against the New York Giants. The Chiefs also kept Seattle off-balance with misdirection plays early, while the Seahawks also simply missed too many tackles.

“We needed to fit the whole running game better than we did,” Carroll said.

Offensively, Seattle got 124 yards from running back Marshawn Lynch. But Lynch couldn’t pick up a fourth-and-1 with just under four minutes left that would have kept alive a drive in Kansas City territory.

That play came after center and offensive line leader Max Unger left with a sprained ankle that is likely to keep him out for another 3-4 weeks.

And Seattle’s passing game also mustered fewer than 200 yards for the fourth straight week, with Russell Wilson throwing for 178.

The latter stat is particularly ominous as the Seahawks now face an Arizona team that has one of the best passing defenses in the NFL.

Wilson called the Kansas City loss “heartbreaking” while vowing that the team has what it takes to still accomplish its goals this season.

“I reflect back to my rookie year when we were (6-5 after 11 games) and then we won the rest of our games,” Wilson said. “We just keep believing in what we do and the guys we have. Just keep going.”

Notes: Running back Marshawn Lynch may be subject to fines of as much as $100,000 for not talking to the media. Lynch has not talked regularly to the media this season though he did give an interview to NFL.com’s Michael Silver on his cell phone after the game while sitting on the team bus. . . . Center Max Unger is out at least 3-4 weeks with a sprained ankle and twisted knee suffered in the fourth quarter. He was replaced Sunday by recent acquisition Patrick Lewis. But there is much speculation that the Seahawks will bring back former center Lemuel Jeanpierre, who started three games last season but was waived in September with an injury (neck) settlement. . . . Guard James Carpenter, out two weeks with a sprained ankle, may return this week. . . . Middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, sidelined with a toe injury since Oct. 12, has a chance to play this week.

REPORT CARD VS. CHIEFS

–PASSING OFFENSE: C-minus — It may be time to start really worrying about Seattle’s passing game after a fourth straight game in which the Seahawks threw for fewer than 200 yards. The Seahawks had just 178 yards and no gain of longer than 27. Some of that is due to Seattle’s emphasis of late on its running game and getting the ball to Marshawn Lynch. But Seattle’s passing game has also simply been a slog at times due to shoddy protection, Russell Wilson being off target a few more times than usual, and an inability of the receivers to get consistently open. All of that showed up against the Chiefs, including a dropped pass by Jermaine Kearse in the end zone on a drive when the Seahawks ended up settling for a field goal.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: A-minus — For most of the game, Seattle deserved an A as the Seahawks rushed for 204 yards and 5.5 per carry — in line with its standing as the top rushing team in the NFL. Marshawn Lynch battled through nagging injuries to rush for 124 yards, and Wilson again had some well-timed scrambles to finish with 71. But after center Max Unger went down early in the fourth quarter, things changed and the Seahawks could not pick up a fourth-and-1 on a run up the middle from the Kansas City 36-yard line on what was Seattle’s second-to-last possession of the game. Unger has been a key to the running game this season and his absence for a key stretch of the year is sure to make an impact.

–PASS DEFENSE: B — The Chiefs had so much success running that they barely tried to throw, attempting just 16 passes and completing 11 for 108 yards. A few came at key times, though, especially on two touchdown drives in the first half when Chiefs QB Alex Smith was 7-for-10 for 72 yards. Seattle again had trouble containing tight ends as Travis Kelce had three catches for 37 yards to lead the Chiefs. Seattle also didn’t have a quarterback hurry, let alone a sack. The manner in which the Chiefs played led to some of that. But Kansas City also came in having allowed 25 sacks in its previous nine games.

–RUSH DEFENSE: D — This might have been the key to the game as the Seahawks simply couldn’t stop Jamaal Charles, who averaged 8.0 yards per carry and had a 47-yarder to key a drive in which the Chiefs took the lead for good early in the fourth quarter. Typifying the day, Seattle safety Earl Thomas missed a tackle early on the Charles run that might have kept it to 10 yards or so. Seattle simply missed too many tackles and was out of its gaps too often, as well as often times being blown off the ball, especially early in the game. Seattle appeared to greatly miss nose tackle Brandon Mebane, who was placed on Injured Reserve earlier in the week with a pulled hamstring. Replacements Kevin Williams and Jordan Hill didn’t seem to make much of an impact. It did at least get a little better in the second half as the Chiefs had 96 yards on 18 carries in the second half, including the 47-yarder by Charles. Still it was another day that seemed to indicate the growing distance between this team and the Super Bowl champs of a year ago.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: B-minus — A pretty ineffectual day in this area as the Seahawks didn’t get much in the return games, and replaced kickoff returner Paul Richardson after an early fumble. Seattle also allowed a 31.7-yard average on three kickoff returns, with a lot of new faces again dotting the coverage teams — another illustration of the difference of this team and that of a year ago. The kickers were solid, though, and nothing that happened really changed the game.

–COACHING: B-minus — The overall game plan seemed fine — Seattle was right there to win a game against a good team on the road, a game in which it was an underdog for the first time since the Super Bowl. But one key decision could definitely be questioned as Seattle went for it on fourth-and-goal at the Kansas City 2 with 7:11 left, trailing 24-20. The gamble backfired when a fade pass to Doug Baldwin went incomplete. Seattle later had to go for a fourth-and-1 at the Kansas City 36, since it still trailed by four. Carroll explained the decision to go for the first fourth down saying that he thought the team had a good play with which to take the lead, and also that it would at least leave the Chiefs backed up in their own territory if it failed. The latter proved true – Kansas City went three and out to set up Seattle with another shot to make it, which backfired when Lynch couldn’t get a yard on fourth-and-1 at the 36. Still, it was also worth wondering if the gamble said something about Carroll’s reluctance in the ability of his defense to stop the Chiefs, who didn’t punt until the fourth quarter. Still, a field goal would have put some pressure on the Chiefs and given some momentum to the Seahawks.