BOX SCORE
News has been kind to the Washington Commanders in the aftermath of Jayden Daniels’ dislocated left elbow. All things considered, anyway.
We first heard that surgery wasn’t on the table and that injured reserve wasn’t being considered. Then came a more definitive timeline, with NFL Network reporting that Daniels could be back within three weeks.
While those are pluses, the Commanders are still 0-2 and must survive a little while without Daniels.
Veteran backup Marcus Mariota would have to lead
that charge into Week 3 and against the Seattle Seahawks and a bit beyond.
Turning the home opener into the season’s first win was borderline essential despite a tough early schedule.
The Commanders were super competitive and often the better team, but it didn’t prevent a tight fourth-quarter finish.
Mariota, Sonny Styles and Washington’s defense came up huge to secure a 33-31 victory over the Seahawks on Sunday at Northwest Stadium.
Here are some key takeaways from Washington’s duel with the Seahawks after watching it live:
Marcus Mariota comes through
Quarterback play wouldn’t be the only factor in Sunday’s final result. It takes a whole team effort to beat the defending champs.
Yet the Commanders wouldn’t stand a chance without Marcus Mariota being poised, in control and finding moments to assert himself.
He did that from the jump. The Commanders looked comfortable with him calling signals and found moments to take what was given and others to push the ball down the field.
That included this tight-window touchdown pass to Treylon Burks:
Mariota’s stat line was, well, pretty darn good. He completed 19-of-x31 passes for 183 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions.
He took multiple plays to the line of scrimmage and picked the right one. He kept Washington in sync and kept offensive coordinator David Blough’s playbook open.
The veteran found also found Terry McLaurin in key moments, none bigger than a contested 30-yard explosive score in the third quarter.
Mariota’s also had an explosive touchdown pass taken away by penalty and another by an Antonio Williams drop. Moments like those led to a tight finish, with Washington inside the red zone with six minutes left. They left with just a field goal.
He went to the locker room later and returned with a two-point lead and roughly three minutes to preserve it. The Commanders converted one third down with a gutsy Rachaad White run and another with Mariota’s huge run to ice a huge victory
Commanders defense came to play
Washington’s defense couldn’t stop much of anything in a Week 2 loss against Dallas, leading coordinator Daronte Jones to talk a ton about needing better communication that would lead to more pressure and improved coverage.
He got all that and a few turnovers, paced by an excellent Sonny Styles showing. The No. 7 overall NFL draft pick had a forced fumble that Washington recovered and turned into a touchdown.
Then Styles had an interception snatched from the sky in the second half that set up the McLaurin touchdown.
The Seahawks still found a way to tie it 24-24 early in the fourth quarter, erasing a two-touchdown second-half deficit.
The Commanders broke the tie with a field goal and the Sehawks were driving until linebacker Kain Medrano made the play of his early NFL career, intercepting Sam Darnold for a pick six returned 50 yards for a touchdown.
There was a missed extra point following a unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, creating a nine-point lead that could be bested with a touchdown and a field goal.
The Commanders followed that by allowing a quick touchdown allowed, a nightmare scenario that kept things tight.
Mariota finished it off, but the defense came up huge with three takeaways that turned into 21 points.
Key injuries piling up
The second-quarter scene was somber after linebacker Leo Chenal suffered neck injury while tackling Seahawks running back Emanuel Wilson.
He was down for a long time before being placed on a stretcher and carted off the field. It was a scary situation for the Commanders, who huddled around their fallen teammate.
That was a blow to a linebacker corps already working without Frankie Luvu (groin) and Jordan Magee (hamstring; on IR) and a defense also operating without safety Nick Cross (internal/illness). Top cornerback Trey Amos has been on IR all year and isn’t terribly close, with all that testing Washington’s defensive depth.
Core special teamer Kain Medrano took over for Chenal, last week’s leading tackler, which illustrates the depth concerns Washington’s battling right now.
As an update, Pam Oliver reported on the FOX broadcast that Chenal was able to move his extremities while with his family, but was taken to a local hospital as a precaution.
What were your takeaways from this game? Let us know in the comments below:
