Sunday’s 33-31 upset over the Seattle Seahawks did a lot more than just put a mark in the win column. It gave Commanders fans a collective sigh of relief and brought back an energy that seemed completely sapped just seven days earlier.
In this week’s Reacts survey, we dug into two key areas: our regular check-in on fan confidence, and an evaluation of which unit deserved the lion’s share of the credit for pulling off the home upset.
Here is how the votes shook out and what our community had to say.
Question 1: Are you confident in the team’s direction?
The rollercoaster ride continues.
After opening at 70% in Week 1 and ticking up to 80% following Week 2, the bottom fell out in Week 3 at a dismal 20%. One week and one signature upset later, that number has bounced right back up to 76%.
Whether this jump represents genuine long-term faith or simply immediate postgame relief following the win in the home opener vs the Seashawks, the mood around the fanbase has clearly turned back toward the positive.
Still, a few regular commenters were quick to separate game-day emotion from long-term trajectory.
Others are keeping their guard up.
By the way, here are this week’s results of the confidence question from the other NFC East teams:
Question 2: Which phase of the game was most instrumental in the Commanders win over the Seahawks on Sunday?
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Nearly half the votes went to the offense with just over a third to defense, but reading through the comments, our community wasn’t ready to let David Blough take a solo victory lap.
Defense: The reality is that Sunday was a clinic in complementary football. Daronte Jones’ defense repeatedly bailed out the team by clamping down on Seattle’s ground attack and generating 3 critical takeaways—none bigger than the second-half pick-six that completely flipped momentum.
Offense: At the same time, when Blough’s offense had to have a drive in the fourth quarter, Marcus Mariota settled down, shook off that rough 1-for-11 third-down mark, and led a clutch scoring march that drained the clock and sealed the win.
Special Teams: Then there is the third phase that often gets forgotten: special teams. In a game decided by just 2 points, rookie kicker Drew Stevens was dead-eye reliable on 3-pointers. He nailed both of his field goal tries under immense pressure (we won’t talk about the missed 48-yard PAT following the penalty on Frankie Luvu, who wasn’t even playing in the game). Without Stevens doing his field-goal kicking job cleanly, all the defensive takeaways in the world might not have been enough.
DQ: The 19% of respondents who gave their vote to Dan Quinn probably may have been onto something: nobody carried this team across the finish line alone. When a team plays together and comes away with a win in difficult circumstances, the head coach has to get some credit for that, right?
Wrapping up the thought
When a squad is banged up and leaning on backups in critical spots, winning doesn’t come down to a single playcaller having a stroke of genius. It requires all three phases covering for one another when things go sideways. Daronte Jones’ defense provided the short fields and the splash plays, David Blough’s offense capitalized with a clutch, clock-killing touchdown drive when it mattered most, and Drew Stevens quietly put 6 points on the board to make sure no offensive drives that crossed midfield prior to the 2-minute warning were wasted. That is textbook complementary football, and fostering that kind of buy-in across the roster is ultimately the head coach’s job.
Next up: a Week 4 international showdown in London against Daniel Jones and the Indianapolis Colts
Holding onto the team’s collective resilience will be vital as Washington packs its bags for London. With a quick turnaround, international travel logistics, and an Indianapolis team eager to turn Daniel Jones loose against his old NFC East rival, the Commanders won’t have the luxury of relying on just one side of the ball. If Sunday proved anything, it’s that this team’s margin for error is razor-thin—and their best chance to keep stacking wins is by doing it together.
Per Fan Duel, Indianapolis is currently favored on Sunday.
- Colts -3.5
- Over/under 47.5
The game will be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday, October 4, with kickoff slated for an early 9:30 a.m. EDT (2:30 p.m. local BST) on NFL Network.
So, set those morning alarms early, grab a pot of coffee, and get ready for Sunday brunch with the burgundy & gold!
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