Chiefs Notebook: Kicker Cairo Santos prevails in the cold

The game-time temperature for Sunday's game was about 21 degrees, which made it the coldest game that rookie kicker Cairo Santos had ever participated in.

“By 20 degrees,” Santos said with a laugh.

So on the sideline, Santos — a Brazilian — wore a cape and tried to stay active to keep warm.

Looks like it worked, too, as he drilled a 23-yard field goal in the third quarter, his only attempt of the day.

“I just didn't feel it,” said Santos, who has now made 11 straight kicks. “The adrenaline kicks in and you don't feel it.”

Santos said the biggest way the weather affected him was on kickoffs, because the ball didn't travel as far. In the nine kickoffs attempted Sunday, only one — from Seattle's Steven Hauschka — landed for a touchback.

“Hauschka is a great kicker, he gets a lot of touchbacks,” Santos said. “But here, he wasn't hitting it as far as he usually does. The ball just doesn't compress.”

Supernaw gets involved

With tight end Anthony Fasano out, the Chiefs started Travis Kelce and turned to Phillip Supernaw, who was signed off the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad earlier this week, as a backup.

Supernaw caught one pass for 3 yards on Sunday, on his first play of the game.

“I was the check down, but if they were gonna bring a blitz, I was gonna be the guy,” Supernaw said. “It ended up happening that way.

“My first down in my career as a chief was a catch, so that's never a bad thing. I'm picking up the playbook pretty well.”

Colquitt bombs away

Dustin Colquitt had to wait until midway through the fourth quarter before getting a chance to punt, but both of his kicks were beauties.

The line of scrimmage for his first punt was the Chiefs 2, and he boomed a 53-yarder that bought some yardage for the defense to work with. And his last punt was 51 yards and downed at the Seattle 4 by a collection of Chiefs with 2:47 to play.

“It’s one of those that you practice every day, and you might face two or three times a season, when you don’t have 15 yards to work with,” Colquitt said of the punt from the back of his end zone. “We covered well, got the ball out of there, and our defense held up. That’s the most important thing, is we all worked together and we got it done.”

Reid wins challenge

Chiefs coach Andy Reid challenged a ruling on a third-down pass to Seattle’s Jermaine Kearse with 3:38 to play, saying the receiver didn’t have the first down at the Chiefs 35. The call was reversed, and the Seahawks, trailing 24-20, came up short on fourth-and-1.

“We were down to one timeout, but I thought the guys in the (press) box did a nice job, saying, ‘hey, he was a yard short,’” Reid said. “It looked like it on the field, but you’re never quite sure until you see the replay.”

Chiefs’ inactives

Two key Chiefs were missing from the lineup Sunday, as the Chiefs made cornerback Chris Owens (knee) and tight end Anthony Fasano (knee) inactive for the game.

Owens has missed the last three of the last four games with a knee injury, while Fasano was injured in the Chiefs' win over the Bills last Sunday and did not practice all week.

The Chiefs also made receivers Donnie Avery (groin) and A.J. Jenkins (shoulder), cornerback Jamell Fleming (hamstring), quarterback Aaron Murray and guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif inactive against the Seahawks.

The absence of Avery and Jenkins means Frankie Hammond got the start in what will amount to his first extended action since the season opener. He did a register a catch or a target.

Linebacker Tamba Hali (knee), running back Jamaal Charles (shoulder/elbow), tight end Travis Kelce (ribs), linebacker Josh Martin (hamstring/knee), linebacker Josh Mauga (groin), cornerback Sean Smith (groin) and guard Mike McGlynn (knee) will play in Sunday's game.

Seahawks’ inactives

The Seahawks' inactives are linebacker Bobby Wagner, guard James Carpenter, safety Steven Terrell, cornerback Marcus Burley, linebacker Brock Coyle, tackle Andrew McDonald and tight end RaShaun Allen.

Alvin Bailey will get the start at left guard for Carpenter. K.J. Wright will move inside to replace Wagner, and Malcolm Smith — who has been banged up with a groin injury recently — will slide into the starting lineup.

This story was originally published November 16, 2014 at 9:25 PM with the headline "Chiefs Notebook: Kicker Cairo Santos prevails in the cold."