The Seattle Seahawks lost to the Commanders, 33 - 31. Sadly, the game wasn't nearly that close. Today's winners made the final score look better. The losers, well, that's why Seattle got their first L of the season.
Several remarkable stats the Seahawks had accrued this season disappeared in this game. No plays over 20 yards? That was gone by the second quarter. More to the point, the Dark Side defense looked like it was just a dimmer switch in this game. In the past, the 12s could count on a big stop to turn the game around. Not today.
Overall, the team simply looked flat. I'm not about to use the 10 am West Coast time kickoff as an excuse; Coach Mike Madonald certainly won't. It's nearly impossible to go through a 17-game schedule unscathed. I'd rather the team lose early than late.
Seattle Seahawks show resilience but it isn't enough
Winner/Loser: Sam Darnold
Yes, I'm cheating right out of the gate. Darnold returned to action as expected. He looked rusty on Seattle's first drive, but must have gotten a liberal application of naval jelly before the fourth drive. After that, he played well. Until he didn't. His first interception was off a deflection, but the second was just - ugh.
Still, he threw for 379 yards and four touchdowns. After the second pick, he tightened his chin strap like Captain America tightening his shield and took Seattle 68 yards in 1:06, bringing the Seahawks within nine points. The problem was that the defense allowed 27 points to a Washington team that had averaged 21 coming into today, and couldn't stop them on their final drive. Sam has to play better.
Loser: Seattle running game
Jadarian Price fumbled for the second time this season. Yes, it was raining, and the ball was undoubtedly slippery. But the conditions were the same for everyone. He shows a lot of promise, but if he doesn't improve his ball-security issues, he'll need to be the second coming of Barry Sanders to make up for it. He finished with just 15 yards on five carries.
What's worse is that neither Emanuel Lewis nor George Holani were able to get the running game going either. Seattle's running backs gained just 39 yards on 17 carries, an atrocious 2.3-yard average. Maybe we should put up with Anthony Bradford's garbage pass-blocking skill after all; at least he can open running lanes.
Winner: AJ Barner
I know, I know. He didn't pull in that fourth-down pass that killed a Seahawks drive in the second quarter. But to be fair, it wasn't quite on target, either. But heck, JSN even dropped a couple of passes. Eric Saubert caught a touchdown, and Barner caught five passes; it looks like Brian Fleury has found the tight ends after all.
Loser: AJ Finley
Now we know why AJ Finley had been relegated to the ready squad. As it turns out, he wasn't ready. Granted, stepping into the cleats of the great Julian Love is a tall order. But he was late in coverage several times, or not even there at all on a few plays. He was flagged in the fourth quarter for an illegal hit, but there really wasn't much he could have done differently. Still - he was no Julian Love.
Winner: Leonard Williams
Three tackles, two of those for a loss. Three quarterback hits and a sack. And in general, the most disruptive force on the field on every play. The Big Cat was roaring today. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to secure a Seahawks victory.
Loser: Josh Jobe
Jobe is making up for that remarkable game-sealing interception against the Patriots with another mediocre game. He completely lost Terry McLaurin on a touchdown that put the Commanders ahead. Listen, Jobe is still a good corner, but today he missed the insurance policy of Julian Love, Esq.
The Seahawks will bounce back, of course. But today, more than ever, it was clear that the full 70-man roster isn't always going to be enough without their best players.
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