The Commanders took the field in their home opener against the Seahawks, reeling from the Week 2 loss of their starting quarterback, adding to the injury attrition of key starters including LT Laremy Tunsil, RG Sam Cosmi, S Nick Cross, LB Frankie Luvu and TE Chig Onkonkwo.
The injury concerns were further compounded by the underperformance of secondary players Mike Sainristil, Quan Martin and Jeremy Reaves, combined with growing doubts about leadership of the head coach and new schemes on both sides
of the ball being spearheaded by novice coordinators. Around the league,confidence in the Commanders was tanking following the devastating 20-37 Week 2 loss to the Cowboys. The Vegas line had the Commanders as 8.5 point underdogs at home, against the visiting Seahawks.
What took place was a reminder of the generally mis-quoted, but nonetheless apt movie line about what can happen “on any given Sunday”. The rag-tag band of injury replacements, disrespected, and underrated players rallied around journeyman backup Marcus Mariota, who led an efficient offense that did enough to capitalize on opportunities generated by the defense, while avoiding turnovers.
The defense was strong against the run (9th fewest rushing yards allowed Week 3), but continued to struggle against the pass (32nd in passing yards allowed).
The key to victory was generating 3 turnovers which led to points, compared to the Seahawks’ 0. Historically, teams with a +3 turnover differential have a 90.7% win rate. That is a tremendous obstacle for a opponent to overcome. As good as Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the Seahawks’ passing attack may be, on Sunday it was not enough.
In Week 3, missing their star QB and key starters on both sides of the ball, against the reigning Super Bowl champs, the Commanders’ offense ranked 20th in the league in weighted EPA/Play at +0.04, while the defense ranked 11th at -0.045:
Image courtesy of RBSDM.com
The upset win was the result of total team effort. Players making that kind of effort, in the face of the type of adversity the Commanders were facing, points to coaching and leadership perhaps being better than was widely appreciated.
While the overall game left plenty of room for improvement, there were some standout performances on both sides of the ball, as well as continued struggles from players who have underperformed, and another key loss to injury.
As the Commanders seek to carry the momentum with them to London, let’s take a look at who stepped up, who struggled and where everyone played in the biggest upset of the 2026 season so far.
BIGGEST PLAYS OF THE GAME
These plays had the biggest impact on a team’s scoring potential on a drive, as quantified by Expected Points Added (EPA). Cutoff: EPA = +/- 2.2
Biggest Plays for Commanders
Q3, 10:50, 2nd and 8 at SEA 30: Marcus Mariota pass complete deep left to Terry McLaurin for 30 yards, touchdown. EPA 3.83
Q2, 6:51, 2nd and 9 at SEA 11: Marcus Mariota pass complete short middle to Treylon Burks for 11 yards, touchdown. EPA 2.73
Q4, 8:40, 4th and 1 at SEA 40: Marcus Mariota pass complete short left to Terry McLaurin for 6 yards. EPA 2.72
Q4, 10:35, 3rd and 13 at WAS 37: Marcus Mariota pass incomplete deep left intended for Terry McLaurin. Penalty on AJ Finley: Personal Foul / Defense, 15 yards (accepted). EPA 2.42
Q4, 1:55, 3rd and 9 at WAS 34: Rachaad White right end for 19 yards. EPA 2.42
Q2, 0:03, 4th and 2 at SEA 39: Drew Stevens 57 yard field goal. EPA 2.34
Q2, 1:51, 4th and 2 at WAS 2: Sam Darnold pass incomplete short right intended for AJ Barner -defended by Jeremy Reaves. EPA -2.87
Q3, 12:09, 1st and 10 at SEA 32: Sam Darnold pass short left, defended by Tim Settle, is intercepted by Sonny Styles at SEA-42 and returned for -1 yards. EPA -3.79
Q1, 11:06, 1st and 10 at SEA 20: Jadarian Price left end for 1 yard, tackled by Sonny Styles, fumble forced by Amik Robertson, recovered by Tim Settle at SEA-21 (original fumble ruling overturned by replay assistant). EPA -4.45
Q4, 4:09, 2nd and 15 at WAS 49: Sam Darnold pass short middle intended for AJ Barner is intercepted by Kain Medrano at 50 and returned for 50 yards, touchdown. EPA -8.44
Biggest Plays for Seahawks
Q1, 0:05, 1st and 10 at WAS 21: Sam Darnold pass complete short left to Brady Russell for 20 yards (tackle by Quan Martin). EPA 2.8
Q2, 4:57, 3rd and 14 at SEA 42: Sam Darnold pass complete deep left to Cooper Kupp for 16 yards (tackle by Mike Sainristil). EPA 2.56
Q2, 0:57, 4th and 8 at WAS 39: Jason Myers 57 yd field goal. EPA 2.34
Q3, 6:14, 1st and 10 at WAS 13: Sam Darnold pass complete short left to Eric Saubert for 13 yards. Fumble forced by Sonny Styles is recovered by Eric Saubert in end zone, touchdown. EPA 2.29
Q1, 0:54, 2nd and 4 at SEA 47: Sam Darnold pass complete short right to AJ Barner for 32 yards (tackle by K’Lavon Chaisson). EPA 2.24
Q4, 11:57, 2nd and 5 at WAS 11: Sam Darnold pass complete short left to Jaxon Smith-Njigba for 11 yards, touchdown. EPA 2.24
OFFENSE
Marcus Mariota entered the game with a 2-0 career record as a starter against the Seahawks. He preserved the perfect record with a methodical and largely mistake free performance.
Marcus completed 19/31 passes (61.3%, 8.3 yd ADOT) for 183 yards and 3 TD, with 0 INT. He took 2 sacks for 7 yds and a whopping 9 QB hits. According to PFF, he was pressured on 48.6% of dropbacks.
Mariota had 5 rushing attempts for 11 yds (2.2 Y/A), including a 9 yard scamper for a first down on 3rd and 7 with 1:36 remaining to secure the victory.
Mariota’s 61.2 Total QBR ranked 15th among starting QBs in Week 3.
Bill Croskey-Merritt led the team in rushing attempts (19), yards (36), first downs (3) and, believe it or not, rushing success rate (26.3%). But he only averaged 1.9 Y/A.
It was tough going for the Commanders runners, against the stout Seahawks’ front 7. Bill, in particular, averaged just 1.0 yard before contact per rushing attempt (YBC/att).
Bill caught his only passing target for 7 yds. He also allowed 0 pressures in 8 pass blocking snaps and earned a team-high 78.3 pass blocking grade from PFF.
Rachaad White had the higher rushing average (4.4 Y/A), but that was largely due to a single 19 yd run, which accounted for 54% of his 35 yd rushing total in 8 attempts. Consequently, his rushing success rate (12.5%) was less than half of Bill’s already meagre figure. Rachaad averaged a healthy 3.1 YBC/att. Rachaad caught his lone target for 6 yds.
Terry McLaurin led the Commanders in receiving yards for the first time this season. He caught 6/9 targets (66.7%) for 77 yards and 1 TD, at an 11.2 yd ADOT. He was the second most productive receiver on the team at an impressive 2.48 Y/RR. He was also a perfect 3/3 on contested targets and gave Marcus Mariota a 130.3 Passer Rating when targeted.
Stefon Diggs was second on the team with 33 yds on 4 out 7 targets (57.1%, 4.7 yd ADOT). Stefon had by far his least productive game for the Commanders, at a modest 1.22 Y/RR.
Jaylin Lane was third on the team with 21 receiving yards on a single reception 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage, with 23 yards gained after the catch. That play was one of only 2 routes he ran, resulting in a team-leading 10.5 Y/RR.
Antonio Williams had a somewhat disappointing day after the hot start to his rookie season. He caught 2/4 targets for just 15 yds.
Treylon Burks was a solid 2/2 for 13 yds and 1 TD.
Dyami Brown went 0/1, because he was unable to keep both feet in bounds on a 22 yd reception.
John Bates led the TEs in receiving by virtue of catching his lone target for 9 yds. Bates was penalized 5 yds for a false start in the 2nd quarter.
Colson Yankoff caught 1/2 targets for 2 yds. Yankoff had the highest run blocking grade on the team at 67.8, per PFF.
Ben Sinnott failed to come down with his only target. But he did lead the team in snaps taken at fullback.
LT Brandon Coleman allowed 4 pressures in 35 opportunities in pass protection, including 1 QB hit. His 11.4% pressure rate is about twice what it should be for his position. That figure is right around his 11.8% average through three games this season. His 49.7 run blocking grade left a lot of room for improvement in London.
LG Chris Paul continued his excellent run in pass protection, allowing just 1 pressure and team low 2.9% pressure rate among the starting OL. His 42.5 run blocking grade was substandard, and his worst of the season thus far.
Lucas Patrick started his first game at center for the Commanders, allowing Nick Allegretti to slide to RG in place of Sam Cosmi, who is suffering a concussion. Patrick allowed 1 QB hit and 1 hurry in pass protection. His 6.3% pressure rate is below the starting level for centers, based on 2025 stats. On the other hand, his 60.1 run blocking grade was the second highest among the OL starters.
RG Nick Allegretti had a shocking game in pass protection, allowing 1 sack, 2 QB hits and 3 hurries, for an alarming 17.1% pressure rate. Alarmingly, his 52.8 run blocking grade was better than 2 of his fellow OL starters.
RT Josh Conerly Jr allowed just 2 QB hurries for a starting-level 5.7% pressure rate. His 62.2 run blocking grade was the highest of the OL starters, and second highest on the team after Yankoff. The one blemish on his game was a 5 yd false start penalty in the first quarter.
DEFENSE
Odafe Oweh made 5 tackle assists and contributed to 1 run stop. In the pass rush he recorded 2 QB hits and 3 hurries, resulting in a 17.2% pressure rate, the highest among the front 7.
K’Lavon Chaisson made 3 tackles with 1 TFL. In the pass rush, he recorded 1 QB hit (4.3% pressure rate). K’Lavon dropped into coverage 11 times, representing 32.4% of passing downs. There was some disagreement among stats services, with PFF crediting him with 3 rec for 31 yds and PFR calling it 2 rec for 26 yds.
K’Lavon was called for a 15 yard unnecessary roughness penalty in the fourth quarter.
Joshua Josephs only played 15 defensive snaps but was involved in plays on 7 of them (47%). He recorded 2 tackles and 2 assists with 1 TFL and 2 defensive stops. He dropped into coverage 6 times (60% of pass plays), and allowed 3 rec/3 tgt for 37 yds.
Dorance Armstrong made 1 tackle, and recorded 3 QB hurries in the pass rush (12.0% pressure rate).
Javon Kinlaw had 2 tackle assists, contributing to 1 run stop. In the pass rush, he recorded 1 QB hit and 2 hurries. His 10.7% pressure rate led the iDL.
Tim Settle played a big part in two of the biggest plays of the game. He recovered the Jadarian Price forced by Amik Robertson in the first quarter. He also headed a Sam Darnold pass at the line for a PBU, deflecting the ball to set up Kain Medrano’s pick-six. He also recorded 1 tackle.
Daron Payne had 1 tackle assist, contributing to a run stop. He generated 2 QB hurries in the pass rush (5.7% pressure rate).
Charles Omenihu had 1 tackle assist and generated 2 QB hurries (5.7% pressure rate).
Shy Tuttle made 1 tackle.
Rookie Sonny Styles was named NFC Player of the Week for a standout performance featuring 4 tackles, 1 assist, 1 QB hit, 1 INT, 2 PBU, and 1 FF. There was some disagreement on his coverage stats, with PFF recording a decent 2 rec for 47 yds (1.07 Y/Cov Snp), while PFR recorded a less impressive 4 rec for 62 yds (1.41 Y/Cov Snp). Both services credited him with 1 missed tackle.
Leo Chenal suffered a neck fracture requiring season-ending surgery. Dan Quinn reported that the surgery went well, and he has feeling in all his extremities. It could have been much worse. Before the injury, Chenal recorded 2 tackles and 1 assist, with 1 TFL and 2 run stops. He also recorded 1 QB hurry in 3 blitz attempts.
Kain Medrano replaced Chenal, and was awarded a game ball for making the highest impact play of the game, a 50 yd pick-six in the fourth quarter. As Mark Tyler observed in the Studs and Duds, Kain had an up and down performance. In addition to the INT, he recorded 3 tackles and 2 assists, with 1 stop and 2 missed tackles.
There was some disagreement about Kain’s coverage stats, with numbers ranging from bad to terrible. PFR recorded 5 rec/7 tgt for 46 yds (1.59 Y/Cov Snp); while PFF recorded 7 rec/7 tgt for 71 yds (2.45 Y/Cov). The NFL credits him with 1 PBU to go with the INT.
Amik Robertson tied with Jeremy Reaves as the team’s leading tackler, with 4 tackles and 2 assists. He was the undisputed leader in impact tackles, with 4 defensive stops, 1 against the run and 3 on pass plays. He also made 1 FF and missed 1 tackle.
Robertson played most of the game at right CB. There was consensus that he allowed 53 yds and 1 TD in 49 coverage snaps with 4 PBUs, but disagreement about the number of targets and receptions. His rate of yardage allowed in the game (1.08 Y/Cov Snap) is right around average for starting CBs, based on 2025 season stats.
Rasul Douglas took over the bulk of the load at left CB, with Mike Sainristil moving inside. He made 3 tackles, with 1 stop on a pass play.
Despite some disagreement about the number of targets and receptions allowed, there was consensus that he allowed 57 yds (1.73 Y/Cov Snp) and recorded 1 PBU. His rate of yardage allowed through three games is below expectations for a starting CB, and well above his 2025 figure.
Mike Sainristil played nickel and had a reduced snap count compared to Weeks 1 and 2. He recorded 2 tackles, with 1 stop on a pass play. He was also penalized 5 yds for defensive holding in the third quarter.
There was slight disagreement on his coverage stats, but either way the verdict was not good. PFF recorded 3/3 for 36 yds (1.5 Y/Cov Snp); while PFR saw 4/4 for 41 yds (1.71 Y/Cov Snp). There was consensus that he allowed 2 TDs.
Fabian Moreau rotated in at LCB with Douglas. In 16 coverage snaps, he allowed 1 rec/1 tgt for a 1 yd TD (0.06 Y/Cov Snap). The TD was obviously not what you’d hope to see, but the rate of yardage allowed was encouraging, albeit in a small sample.
Jeremy Reaves took the most snaps at free safety. He tied Amik with 4 tackles and 2 assists, but only made 1 run stop. There was disagreement regarding his coverage stats (PFF: 24 yds, 0.53 Y/Cov Snp; PFR: 44 yds, 0.98 Y/Cov Snp). The NFL recorded 1 PBU.
Quan Martin also played FS and recorded 4 tackles and 1 assist. There was strong disagreement regarding his coverage stats (PFF: 1 rec, 17 yds, 0.40 Y/Cov Snp; PFR: 2 rec, 48 yds, 1.14 Y/Cov Snp). Quan drew a 2 yd pass interference penalty in the second quarter.
Percy Butler made 2 tackles and 1 assist. PFR recorded a 12 yd reception allowed in coverage, but not PFF.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Drew Stevens went 3/4 on extra points and was a perfect 2/2 on field goals, hitting from 36 and 57 yds. Stevens was penalized for kicking the ball out of bounds in the third quarter, giving the Seahawks the ball on the 40 yard line.
Tress Way booted 7 punts for 343 total yards, with 3 returns for 29 yds, resulting in a net average of 42 yds per punt.
In his first appearance of 2026, Luke McCaffrey returned 3 kicks for 90 yds (30 Y/A).
Rachaad White returned 1 kick for 38 yds.
Jaylin Lane made 2 fair catches on punts. The Seahawks’ Michael Dickson did a great job of kicking the ball away from him.
Percy Butler edged out the other core special teamers with 1 tackle and 1 assist.
Ale Kaho, Tyler Owens, Jeremy Reaves, Ben Sinnott and Joshua Josephs each recorded 1 tackle in coverage.
There were no missed tackles on special teams, nor penalties, aside from Stevens’ kick out of bounds.
