Photo Credit: Nick Wass/ Associated Press
Oh boy, what a game that was! If you turned the game off at halftime, I don’t blame you. But as a Seahawks fan, I enjoyed every second of it. The Seattle Seahawks beat the Washington Commanders 38–14 on Sunday Night Football, improving to 6–2 and remaining first in the NFC West.
Sam Darnold put on a clinic starting out 17-for-17, tying a franchise record for consecutive completions. His first incompletion didn’t come until the third quarter, and by then, he had already thrown four touchdowns. Perhaps Darnold’s best play came late in the third quarter, when the game was already out of reach. On second down, he was nearly sacked but somehow flipped the ball to Zach Charbonnet while parallel to the ground for a 21-yard gain.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, I think I’ve mentioned JSN in every article so far this season but in those beautiful Seahawks throwback jerseys. I couldn’t tell if that was JSN or Steve Largent out there. With his crisp release off the line, silky-smooth hands, and deceptive route running, Smith-Njigba showed everyone that he’s one of the premier receivers in the NFL, if he hadn’t proven it already. He finished the game with 8 catches for 129 yards, increasing his lead as the NFL’s receiving yards leader.
Cooper Kupp was sidelined with a hamstring injury, but just like all season long, other players stepped up big time. Rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo scored the first touchdown of his NFL career, and practice squad receiver Cody White added his first as well, a 60-yard score that was Seattle’s longest play of the night. With Kupp out, I expected to see a lot more volume for Tory Horton, and he did. Horton had four catches for 48 yards and scored Seattle’s first two touchdowns of the night. The Seahawks’ running game had a quiet night, but we did see Kenneth Walker get a goal-line carry for the first time in what feels like ages! (Yes, that was sarcasm.)
But I’ve got to talk about this defense. They sacked the quarterback four times and forced two turnovers, including a beautiful interception by Ty Okada, who is filling in for Julian Love (placed on IR). Okada looked like a receiver as he managed to keep both feet in bounds for the takeaway. It was pretty much curtains after the Commanders fumbled on the ensuing kickoff and Seattle cashed in immediately, making it 21–0 in the second quarter.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. Linebacker Ernest Jones suffered a leg injury late in the first half that looked worse than it turned out to be, but he’ll likely be out a few weeks, a huge loss for the Seahawks defense.
On the Washington side, Jayden Daniels suffered a brutal arm injury and left the game in an aircast late in the fourth quarter, as an injury-plagued season for the Commanders continues.
In my opinion, this was the best game of the season for the Seahawks — maybe even in years. They put together a complete performance in all three phases, and it wasn’t just us who saw how good this team can be, the entire nation did as the Seahawks showed out on primetime. With how tight the NFC West is, each week is important. The Seahawks return home to face the Arizona Cardinals next Sunday in Seattle.
