Week 3 recap: Commanders 33, Seahawks 31
Seattle outgained Washington by 179 yards, had 28 first downs to 17, and did not allow a sack, and lost anyway, because it turned the ball over three times and Washington scored touchdowns off all three. The last one decided it. Down 27-24 with 4:34 to play, Sam Darnold threw over the middle for AJ Barner, and linebacker Kain Medrano caught it and ran 50 yards the other way. The twelve-game winning streak, a franchise record that ran through last season’s title, is over. Seattle is 2-1.
How it happened
Washington’s first touchdown came off the first turnover. Jadarian Price fumbled on the first snap of Seattle’s second possession, Washington recovered at the Seattle 21, and four plays later Marcus Mariota found Rachaad White from six yards out. Seattle sat Price until halftime and gave Emanuel Wilson the next two drives; Macdonald said Monday the message was “Let’s settle down. We’ll come back after the half and get back to the original game plan,” and called Price “an A-plus guy.” Seattle answered with a 90-yard drive that ended in a one-yard touchdown to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, then gave up a 60-yard drive and an 11-yard touchdown to Treylon Burks.
For the second week running, Seattle was stopped at the goal line before halftime. A 12-play, 78-yard drive reached second-and-goal at the Washington 2, and three straight throws fell incomplete, the last one to Barner on fourth down. Seattle got the ball back at the Washington 41 in the final minute and Jason Myers hit from 57, and then Drew Stevens matched him from 57 at the gun. Washington led 17-10 at the half.
The second turnover came on Seattle’s first possession of the third quarter: Tim Settle tipped a Darnold throw meant for Smith-Njigba, Sonny Styles caught it at the Seattle 43, and three plays later Mariota hit Terry McLaurin for 30 yards and a 24-10 lead. Seattle came back. Eric Saubert caught a 13-yard touchdown, was stripped at the goal line and recovered his own fumble in the end zone, and early in the fourth quarter Smith-Njigba’s second touchdown, from 11 yards, tied it at 24.
Washington then held the ball for 7:19 and kicked a 36-yard field goal with 4:34 left. On Seattle’s third play after the kickoff came Medrano’s interception return, and Stevens missed the extra point after a Washington penalty, 33-24. Darnold went 68 yards in 61 seconds, three throws to Smith-Njigba and a 17-yarder to Tory Horton, and hit Cooper Kupp for a 7-yard touchdown with 2:51 left. Seattle kicked deep with all three timeouts, and Washington converted two third downs, a 19-yard run by White on third-and-9 and a 9-yard Mariota scramble on third-and-7, and knelt it out.
The numbers
| Seahawks | Commanders | |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 437 | 258 |
| First downs | 28 | 17 |
| Rushing | 18 for 44 | 32 for 82 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Sacks allowed | 0 | 2 |
| Third down | 3 of 9 | 3 of 13 |
| Red zone | 4 of 5 | 2 of 3 |
| Penalties | 8 for 53 | 9 for 57 |
| Time of possession | 28:32 | 31:28 |
Darnold went 31 of 45 for 379 yards, a career high, with four touchdowns and two interceptions, in what was effectively his first game of the season. Smith-Njigba caught 10 of 14 targets for 128 yards and two touchdowns; ESPN notes his six touchdowns through three games tie Calvin Johnson’s 2011 pace. Barner caught five for 69, and Horton, Holani and Kupp added 142 more between them. Mariota went 19 of 31 for 183 yards and three touchdowns, to three different receivers, and Stefon Diggs, the matchup the preview worried about, caught four for 33. The attendance was 64,027, in the rain.
What decided it
Macdonald put it in one line: “We were minus-three in the takeaway department. In the NFL, what wins games is great situational football.” Darnold took the last one on himself. On the interception return, he said he was flushed toward the sideline and “should have dirted it at his feet,” and: “I saw him. He made a really good play, but yeah, that’s a ball I got to throw away.” His summary: “I can’t turn the ball over the way that I did.” Medrano’s version: “I had to show off my wide receiver skills.”
Our preview said Seattle 24, Washington 13, and under the 40.5 total. We were wrong on both, and the reasons are specific. We expected the run game that closed out Arizona to work in the rain, and Seattle ran 18 times for 44 yards. We expected the front to make Mariota uncomfortable enough to protect two backup safeties, and Seattle sacked him twice and did not force a turnover. Macdonald: “We didn’t get enough pressure today, they did a good job taking care of the quarterback.” The part we did get right, that Seattle would move the ball, was not the part that mattered.
The positives are real. Darnold looked like himself, and Kupp’s point was that “this was like his first game of the year.” Smith-Njigba: “Sam came back, and Sam was Sam.” The red zone, 0 of 2 in the opener, was 4 of 5. Macdonald’s closing word: “I know our team, I know what they’re made of… We’re going to get back to work, we’re going to get better.”
Injuries, and what comes next
Nick Emmanwori left with a hamstring injury, was listed as questionable to return, and came back. Rashid Shaheed was hurt on the fourth-quarter kickoff return and briefly returned. Monday’s updates, from Macdonald’s weekly radio appearance: Julian Love (calf) is day to day. Macdonald on Monday: “He’s gonna do a bunch of stuff today, and then I think we’ll just take it day by day on what his status is.” On Ty Okada (hamstring), who has missed three games: “It’s too early right now to kind of make any declarations.” Zach Charbonnet’s practice window off the physically unable to perform list could open as soon as this week; the decision comes Monday or Tuesday, and he cannot play until October 11. There was no update Monday on Nick Emmanwori (hamstring), Rashid Shaheed, hurt on a fourth-quarter kickoff return, or Brandon Pili (concussion). The Week 4 practice reports start Wednesday on the injury report.
Around the division, San Francisco beat Arizona 36-30 to go 3-0, and the Rams lost 34-30 to Denver on Sunday night, so the NFC West stands 49ers 3-0, Seahawks 2-1, Rams and Cardinals 1-2. Next is the Chargers at Lumen Field on Sunday at 1:25 p.m. on CBS, the first of two straight home games before the 49ers visit on October 11.