The Seattle Seahawks finally reached the top of the NFC West during the bye week. Now the challenge doesn’t get any easier; the Seahawks need to stay on top and will face a big test this week. The New York Giants should be unable to beat the San Francisco 49ers, and it’s basically impossible for NOLA to achieve anything against the Los Angeles Rams, especially with the decision to debut a rookie against that aggressive defense.
Therefore, the Washington Commanders are the most difficult opponent among
the three leaders of the NFC West. The Washington team is 3-5, surprisingly compared to what was expected at the beginning of the 2025 season. I projected facing them with something close to 5-3, but don’t let that record fool you or give you the idea that it will be an easy game.
It’s going to be a great matchup.
Let’s go!
Familiar Faces
The Commanders are likely only rivaled by the Las Vegas Raiders for the team with the most former Seahawks players. Some names among active players, injured players, front office staff, and coaching staff:
George Fant, OT;
Jacob Martin, EDGE;
Nick Bellore, ST;
Bobby Wagner, LB;
Tyler Ott, LS;
Dan Quinn, HC;
Larry Izzo, ST Coordinator;
Darryl Tapp, DL Coach;
Brian Schneider, ST Assist;
Andre Coleman, Off Assist;
Bobby Engram, WR Coach;
Tommy Donatell, DB Coach;
Ken Norton Jr, LB Coach;
Scott Fitterer, Personnel Executive;
Challenge against the QBs
Jayden Daniels is expected to start for the Commanders, but in case he gets re-injured on Sunday, the backup is veteran Marcus Mariota.
It’s good to remember two points: the first is that Marcus Mariota has never been defeated by the Seahawks, winning in 2017 with the Titans and in 2022 with the Falcons. The other is that he has better numbers than Daniels this year under pressure and against blitzes.
Regardless of who the QB is, the first challenge will be keeping the Commanders’ signal caller in the pocket. The Seahawks have already had problems with this during the season. Whether losing sacks and tackles, or giving the QB enough time to find late options.
It should be a key game for the EDGE rushers who will need to maintain discipline and keep the QB in the pocket while the Commanders may be without Laremy Tunsil. Inside the line, Tyler Biadasz and Sam Cosmi are good players, but the center is 13th in pressures allowed with 10, including a sack.
The keys to the defense
Kliff Kingsbury’s offense is not new to the Seahawks. He maintains his concepts of end rounds, RPO, and screens. But, even so, they are a team that mostly runs the ball. There are three games for 200 yards or more and only one game with less than 100 yards (60 against the Chiefs).
The way forward should be to keep the QB in the pocket, as discussed in the previous topic, and contain the running game to force the Commanders to deviate from their script.
They have an outlet for pressure with quick passes, mainly in checkdowns to RBs and TEs. Jeremy McNichols led the Commanders in receiving yards, and the ball was passed to 9 different receivers.
Another point to pay attention to is the no-huddle. The Saints did this quite a bit and managed to catch the Seahawks out of position at times. It’s a way to try and counter Mike Macdonald’s complex play calls and different formations. Since that game against the Saints was decided quickly by the Seahawks, this wasn’t highlighted. However, since the Commanders’ offense is much more organized, this could be a factor. According to TruMediaSports, the Commanders executed 301 (out of 466) plays without a huddle formation this season—182 more than any other team.
What should Klint Kubiak’s game plan be based on?
The Commanders’ defense may not have the best names in the league, but it’s a collection of many interesting players. Frankie Luvu isn’t having his best season, but he’s basically a hybrid of pass rusher and linebacker, being impactful in both roles. Jacob Martin is coming off two sacks and is an excellent situational pass rusher. The center of the defensive line is interesting with Javon Kinlaw, J. Newton, and Daron Payne.
Mike Sainristil and Marshon Lattimore are other standout names. Finally, the ever-present Bobby Wagner, who should play with the same impetus as when he defended for the Rams and managed to intercept the Seahawks. The veteran leads the league in tackles and will probably have another game for at least 10 tackles if they insist on running through the middle. There, his reads don’t fail, and his explosiveness is still on point.
The Chiefs showed how to exploit this defense. They stretched horizontally. Whether with outside runs to exploit the linebackers, or creating sets to put a wide receiver or tight end attacking the linebackers’ backs. With these concepts of outside zone, wide zone, and toss, Kubiak will have Ken Walker at his disposal, who is the best running back we have in this concept and has a good chance of returning to his good numbers.
The Commanders have given up six games of 100 rush yards on the season. I’ve been saying for a while that the offensive line can “turn the key” and fit into the running game. This game is the opportunity for that.
Final Thoughts
Another balanced game on the Seahawks’ path. If the defensive line continues its good run, the path to victory becomes more feasible. IF, and a big IF, the offense doesn’t make big mistakes. Against the Texans there were two interceptions and two fumbles, while the Commanders intercepted the Chiefs twice (doubling their number of INTs this season) and also forced two fumbles (but didn’t recover).
Big SNF on the horizon!
