In his third NFL game, Washington Commanders linebacker Sonny Styles put on a show. Styles finished with five tackles, two passes defensed, two forced fumbles, one interception, and one quarterback hit. Perhaps Styles’ most impressive play was him running stride-for-stride with Seattle running back Jadarian Price down the sideline and breaking up a potential big-time play.
The Commanders also picked up their first win, defeating the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks 33-31.
Styles was a huge part of Washington’s win, directly impacting two Seattle turnovers, which the Commanders turned into 14 points. Washington doesn’t win this game without Styles.
Styles was relieved to pick up his first NFL win.
“I was glad to get a win,” Styles said.
“I hate losing, like you said, didn’t really have too much in college. But, you know, it’s the NFL; it’s a hard league. Every week, the teams are really good. Even teams when you get deep in the season that have really bad records, they’re still a good team, so you’ve got to earn each and every win.”
Styles sounds like a 10-year veteran, which is why he’s such a coach’s dream. For the second consecutive game, Styles also wore the green dot with Frankie Luvu out, showing how much trust the Commanders have in him.
If you think Styles is happy with his performance, think again. The hallmark of any great player is that they are never satisfied. They’re always looking for ways to improve. Styles wasted no time in expressing this after Sunday’s win.
“I think there’s still more plays to be made,” he said. “I don’t think I’m anywhere near like where I want to be, so the emphasis for me is to just keep getting better each and every week. I think you gotta be real with yourself, hard on yourself, but at the same time, like you said, third week playing in the NFL, so you gotta give yourself some grace too. But you know, I’m always looking to get better.”
That’s music to the ears of Washington GM Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn. They know they got the right guy in Styles. Not only will he always strive to be better every week, but he’ll also expect the same from his teammates.
It’s been a long time since Washington has had a freakishly athletic defensive player capable of making a game-changing play on any given snap. In Styles, the Commanders have that.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders linebacker Sonny Styles is not satisfied despite breakout game
