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Commanders Report Card: Who Stepped Up in Season-Saving Win Over Seahawks?

The Washington Commanders finally broke through for their first win of the season, holding off the defending Super Bowl champions to salvage their home opener.
Henry Brown|
Sep 27, 2026; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders punter Tress Way (10) reacts after the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Sep 27, 2026; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders punter Tress Way (10) reacts after the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Washington CommandersSeattle Seahawks

It was hard to imagine the vibes surrounding the Washington Commanders getting any grimmer than they were this time last week. Before they'd even returned to the DMV for their home opener, this team was injury-laden and winless through two weeks, with Jayden Daniels headlining the missing-in-action starters following yet another elbow dislocation. However, they were planning to hold off the visiting Seattle Seahawks, the reigning Super Bowl champions who'd won their last 12 matchups dating back to last season and were getting star quarterback Sam Darnold back from injury.

Thus, the seeds for one of the great feel-good wins of the Daniels era were planted. Even though the starter would remain inactive through Week 3, a strategy guided by longtime backup Marcus Mariota and a coaching staff trying to earn the fan base's respect would define a spirited 33-31 win.

As uninspiring as a 1-2 record looks on paper, here are all of the position groups that contributed to the victory that put the once-spiraling season back on track.

Quarterbacks Grade: A+

To call this one of the more exceptional performances of Mariota's career, let alone his short Washington tenure as Daniels' regular understudy, would be no dramatic overstatement. Granted, his initial multi-year tenure as the Tennessee Titans' underwhelming franchise player wasn't exactly lined with legendary highlights, but he answered the Commanders' call when they entrusted him to take his newest squad home in a game with actual stakes.

The journeyman fired for 183 yards and three touchdowns, the most he's collected in a single game since his one-and-done stint as an Atlanta Falcon four seasons ago. He and the coaching staff deserve a full week's worth of credit from the media for their approach; Mariota is no Daniels as a dual threat, though he's still mobile and accurate enough on the move to keep pushing the ball downfield, and his weapons were sure to match his intensity in paying off his reads.

Some fans will advocate for Mariota as the full-time starter while Daniels takes all the time he needs to get his elbow right, and this gem is likely to stand as fresh evidence of the backup's competence for weeks to come. Regardless of how the rest of the week's slate plays out, he'll go down as one of the weekend's biggest winners around the league.

Running Backs Grade: C+

Bill Croskey-Merritt and Rachaad White weren't nearly as successful as Mariota was in their respective attempts to impose themselves on Seattle's defense. Even if they helped land the plane on the win over that final drive, few analysts could have left this one feeling overly confident about Washington's run game moving forward.

Croskey-Merritt struggled in his least successful 2026 game yet, finishing with a modest 36 yards on 19 carries. At least White scored; he caught the Commanders' first touchdown of the afternoon, though he and the starter will both benefit from better run protection.

Wide Receivers Grade: B+

With Daniels, the usual headliner of the Commanders' scoring versatility, out for potentially weeks to come, it was important that the play-finishing weapons he's leaving behind stay ready to make plays with a different distributor captaining the offense. And they met him halfway: the positional headliners finally looked like star-caliber wideouts, while the receiving depth held up against a usually stingy, if battered, secondary.

Terry McLaurin was particularly impactful, nabbing a leaping touchdown reception on one of Mariota's bigger throws of the day. Stefon Diggs also stayed effective and available in his first Commanders win, while the versatile reserves peppering the depth chart held up in a platoon effort.

Tight Ends Grade: C

This will remain one of the tougher positions to grade while Chig Okonkwo manages the first serious in-season injury of his professional career. Without that starting option, his subtle band of stand-ins won't leave a strong imprint on Washington's scoring scheme.

At the very least, John Bates is still quite good at his job as an additional blocker and occasional checkdown option. He just struck again in Week 3, breaking free for the one daily snatch he's asked to hold onto, but deep cuts like Ben Sinnott and Colson Yankoff just haven't made strong impressions as Okonkwo's long-shot part-time replacements.

Offensive Line Grade: B

Mariota wasn't alone in his resilience in a tight spot. His offensive line, already missing star left tackle Laremy Tunsil through the foreseeable future, added premier guard Sam Cosmi to this week's injury report, leaving behind a skeleton crew of fringe starters and substitutes to protect the quarterback from a vicious Seattle defense.

Washington Commanders Quarterback Marcus Mariota and Tight End John Bates
Sep 27, 2026; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) reacts with tight end John Bates (87) after a first down against the Seattle Seahawks at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Though they couldn't provide as much pocket freedom as the Seahawks gave their own field general, Sam Darnold, they still got the job done in pass protection. He enjoyed the freedom to fire on the go and burst off when he felt it necessary, even if his fellow ground threats suffered from the middling ground game.

There are still many details to sort out on this front, but Washington should be proud of its strong showing against a contender.

Defensive Front Seven Grade: A

Week 2's inconsistent outing in Dallas now looks closer to a group working through growing pains than the new normal, exactly what most fans felt too optimistic to imagine last Sunday.

This felt like Sonny Styles' first real introduction to the rest of the NFL, and it showed that Washington's interior defense will always have life with the early Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate floating between responsibilities. His preternatural awareness helped him collect both his first career interception and a forced fumble, just the sort of results that closely follow such an advanced combination of edge-rushing tenacity and defensive route-shadowing.

This position group, too, had to improvise on the fly, with Leo Chenal's injury scare opening the door for Kain Medrano's breakout presentation. He punked Darnold with an interception of his own, turning a heads-up play into Washington's final endzone trip of the day with a pick-six, ensuring that he'll remain a name to watch while the linebacker room heals up.

Secondary Grade: B+

Another key adjustment from Washington's defensive coordinators came before the game even started: Mike Sainristil, the young cornerback prospect-turned-oft-burnt scapegoat, was benched in favor of heightened authority piled onto the shoulders of veterans Amik Robertson and Rasul Douglas.

Washington Commanders Cornerback Amik Robertson
Sep 27, 2026; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders cornerback Amik Robertson (2) reacts after a fumble against the Seattle Seahawks in the first half at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Robertson, in particular, balled out with six tackles and four passes directly defended, completing his bid as a potential DB1 while the secondary gets it together. And while Jaxon Smith-Njigba did run amok as Darnold's favorite receiving toy, only so much can be expected from a rotation of attempts to foil the reigning Offensive Player of the Year.

Robertson's teammates have no questions left to answer, with Quan Martin still frustrating the masses amid Nick Cross's injury-related odyssey, but even a semblance of stability will go a long way in finally locating some poise.

Special Teams Grade: B-

While yes, Drew Stevens looked like a rookie when he missed a crucial extra point late in the game, the Commanders wouldn't have controlled the scoring advantage for nearly as long without the kicker's 57-yard boot to end the first half.

Aside from that gaffe and an out-of-bounds kickoff, the other complaint the special teamers left on the table was their bungling of Tress Way's goal-line pinning punt, though they wouldn't have been in the position to blow such an opportunity had the punter not set them up for such success in the first place.

Coaching Grade: A

Considering the mounting list of grievances that D.C. fans and the general football-enjoying populace have filed regarding Commanders head coach Dan Quinn and friends over the course of the young season, this was some of the best situational coaching that anyone could have asked for.

He looked like the defensive leader that the squad needed at the perfect time, partnering with defensive coordinator Daronte Jones to force some big turnovers, regardless of what Darnold's final stat line suggests. No way would last week's group have been composed enough to put together anything resembling that fourth-down stop or the pre-halftime Stevens kick.

But for as much credit as they're sure to shower on Washington over the coming days, no coach will garner quite as much outward approval as David Blough, the first-time offensive coordinator who thrived in flexing some versatility of his own. He never got cuter than he had to in drawing up a simple, less quarterback-reliant attack, leaning on his contested-catch artists to uplift the hard-chugging run game.

With only three instances of NFL-caliber play-calling under Blough's belt, it appears that he's already learning how to balance situational awareness with a dense playbook, and not a moment too soon.

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Henry Brown
HENRY BROWN

Henry covers the Washington Wizards with prior experience as a sports reporter with The Baltimore Sun, The Capital Gazette, and The Lead. A Bowie, MD, native, he also handles On SI’s Wizards beat, extending his DMV coverage, and has earned his journalism degree from the University of Maryland.

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