The Washington Commanders defense had just allowed the Seattle Seahawks to drive 68 yards in only five plays, cutting the Washington lead to 33-31 with 2:51 remaining.
The Commanders certainly had to get at least one first down to use enough clock to make it harder for the Seahawks to kick a winning field goal. And Washington surprised the Seahawks.
On first down from the 33, Jacory Croskey-Merritt gained only one yard, and Marcus Mariota’s incompletion on second down stopped the clock. Washington faced a third-and-9 with 1:55 to play. Needing a first down, we were all wondering what pass play offensive coordinator David Blough called when suddenly, Marcus Mariota turned to his left, handed the ball to RB Rachaad White, who got a big block from Nick
Allegretti, allowing him to get to the edge and gain a very surprising 19 yards for a huge first down!
Rachaad White with the big run to keep the drive going!@SEAvsWAS on FOX/FOX One
— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026
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The Seahawks called their first timeout with 1:47 remaining. After runs for zero and three yards, they used their second and third timeouts. The Commanders were facing a third-and-9 with 1:36 left on the clock. This time, White was lined up to Mariota’s right. Mariota took the snap, turned right, and appeared to hand off to White. But he then pulled out the ball, kept it, going counter to White, and found room on the right side, diving for the first-down marker, the first down and the clinching win.
Marcus Mariota just called game! @SEAvsWAS on FOX/FOX One
— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026
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The Seahawks couldn’t stop the clock; the Commanders ran two victory-formation take-a-knee plays, and the game ended with the Commanders’ first win of 2026, defeating the defending Super Bowl champions 33-31 at Northwest Stadium.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Inside the final moments of how Commanders sealed upset win over Seahawks
