The Washington Commanders open the home portion of their 2026 schedule on Sunday, when the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks come to town. It’s a rematch from Week 9 of last season, when Seattle dominated Washington 38-14.
The Commanders enter Sunday’s game with a litany of injuries. Quarterback Jayden Daniels, right guard Sam Cosmi, tight end Chig Okonkwo, safety Nick Cross and linebacker Frankie Luvu have all been ruled out. That means Marcus Mariota will start at quarterback for Washington.
The defending champs look as dominant as ever. The 2-0 Seahawks will also get starting quarterback Sam Darnold back for Sunday’s game. He missed last week with a glute injury. To learn more about the Seattle Seahawks, we spoke with Kole Musgrove
of Seahawks Wire for insight into the defending champions.
Let’s go Behind Enemy Lines.
How has the Seahawks’ running game looked over the past two weeks?
In a word? Dominant. Seattle has bullied opponents on the ground, especially the Cardinals last week. The Seahawks’ identity is “We are going to impose our will on you, physically." Even if it doesn’t work, they commit to the ground. Last week, Seattle ran the ball four straight times at the goal line. It didn’t work, but it sent the message, "We are going to keep doing this, and it will work." I’d say 162 yards as a team and a touchdown will do the trick! Expect more rushing attempts on Sunday as the team does its best to keep Sam Darnold out of harm's way as best as possible.
Is pass protection a strength for the Seahawks’ OL?
For the first time (in what feels like) since Walter Jones was holding down the left side, the Seahawks have a solid offensive line. This line is anchored by Charles Cross and Abe Lucas at tackles, and left guard Grey Zabel is already playing like a 10-year veteran. There are some questions at right guard, given some injuries this year, but overall I would say this unit is solid at keeping their quarterbacks upright.
Have you noticed any big changes in the offensive scheme with new OC Brian Fleury since they come from the same place?
Something I've noticed is they use motion more unpredictably. When Kubiak was at the helm, motion mostly meant the Seahawks were passing. So far, Brian Fleury is using motion rather equally with both pass and run plays, making Seattle a little less predictable.
On paper, Seattle’s defense looks even better than a year ago. What is your assessment?
My eyes seem to tell the same story. So far in 2026, the Seahawks have allowed 3 scoring drives through two games and have generated 4 turnovers. Teams are literally more likely to turn the ball over against the Dark Side than they are to score points! This unit has been absolutely suffocating, and they have been doing it without three of their best safeties (Nick Emmanwori, Ty Okada and rookie Bud Clark).
Prediction and why
I think the Seahawks are a wagon right now, and the Commanders don't match up well against them. I predict Seattle will be conservative and milk the clock to get out of the "other" Washington as soon as possible. This could lead to a score that is not as indicative of how one-sided it will be. Give me the Seahawks 27-10.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: 5 things to know about the Commanders' Week 3 opponents
