Those throwback jerseys just make everything better!
In another S-tier jersey matchup with double throwbacks, the Seahawks came out on top of the Commanders in a 38-14 beatdown on national television. Sam
Darnold was perfect in the first half, and the defense clamped down on an already depleted Washington offense, rendering them toothless. The only real threat for the Commanders was Jayden Daniels, who was severely injured in garbage time. He’s a fantastic, young talent which makes his needless injury all the worse.
Unfortunately, the injury bug also hit the Seahawks in this one, leaving a sour taste on what was an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable game. Josh Jobe got a concussion on a friendly fire hit from Ty Okada. More critical to the Seahawks future this season is the health of Ernest Jones IV, who got his leg rolled up on and was ruled out with a knee injury. Jones has been playing at an All-Pro level, and a significant injury to him could derail the season. He was on the sidelines cheering on the rest of the team after his injury, so maybe Seattle was just being cautious. Mike Macdonald said after the game that they don’t believe the injury is season-ending. We’ll find out soon if they acquire another linebacker before the trade deadline.
Seahawks Droppings
- Sam Darnold had one or two throws that he would like back, but other than that was dropping dimes all over the field. He legitimately might be the best quarterback in the NFL right now, and we have him on our team. I mean, 16/16 with 4 TDs in the first half?? You can absolutely win the Super Bowl with Darnold at QB.
- Darnold was helped out by his offensive line, particularly in pass blocking. Granted, the Commanders defensive line isn’t that good. Yet, Darnold took zero sacks and only one QB hit on the entire night. I know that a lot of people want to see an upgrade on the OL, particularly at RG, but they’re already playing well enough to make a deep playoff run.
- With three WRs out, we had some rookies and practice squad players step up! Don’t look now, but Tory Horton has five receiving TDs already after snagging two more tonight. Fellow rookie Elijah Arroyo reeled in his first NFL TD on a dart from Sam Darnold in tight coverage. Preseason and practice squad hero Cody White also picked up his first NFL TD on a 60-yard catch and run to basically salt the game away in the second quarter.
- This is a running theme now, but holy balls is Nick Emmanwori a fun player! He was this close to getting his first sack, but the real “wow” moment was his tackle on a WR screen where he blew up the blocker and somehow made the tackle at the same time with one arm. It’s so good we just need to watch it again!
- Besides taking out Josh Jobe, Ty Okada is really coming into his own in the Seahawks defense. His leaping, toe-tapping interception was as good as you’ll ever see. With Julian Love getting put on IR, we have at least three more games of Okada at FS, and I’m feeling more and more comfortable about that.
- Guys, the Seahawks finally forced a fumble and recovered it! If you had big man Brandon Pili forcing the first fumble on a kickoff on your bingo card, then good for you! That was a pivotal play in the game, and helped Seattle jump out to an even bigger early lead.
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba is unstoppable. He caught eight of nine targets for 129 yards on a night when it was him and a host of rookies and/or practice squad players in the receiving room. JSN is going to shatter the Seahawks record books this season, and I’m here for it.
- It was great to see Devon Witherspoon back on the field. His energy is infectious, and he’s a sure tackler. Spoon’s pressure on his blitz was also the reason Daniels threw that interception to Okada. Having him and Emmanwori on the field together is going to be fun as they get used to playing together.
Really, I could go on and on with the positives from this game. Setting aside the injuries which put a damper on the festivities, the nation got to see our boys humiliate other grown men on the gridiron in front of a national audience. These Seahawks aren’t going to be flying under the radar anymore. Let’s see if John Schneider tries to swing some deadline deals and go all-in because this team has the chance to be really special.
