7 Winners, 5 Losers From the Commanders’ 33-31 Win Over the Seahawks

Seven winners and five losers from Washington’s 33-31 win over Seattle, where turnovers made the difference.

Sep 27, 2026; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) rushes the ball against the Seattle Seahawks in the second half at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Washington Commanders earned their first win of the 2026 NFL season against the Seattle Seahawks, who entered the game on a 12-game winning streak. Seattle outgained Washington 437-258 and had 28 first downs to Washington's 17. Turnovers proved to be the difference.

Winners

Marcus Mariota

Marcus Mariota wasn’t perfect, but he didn’t need to be. Starting in place of Jayden Daniels, Mariota finished 19-of-31 for 183 yards and three touchdowns without turning the ball over. He also made one of the biggest plays of the game with his legs, converting a third-and-seven late in the fourth quarter that allowed Washington to run out the clock.

Kain Medrano

What a way to make an impact in an expanded defensive role. With Seattle threatening to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, Kain Medrano intercepted Sam Darnold and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown. It ultimately proved to be the difference in a two-point win.

KAIN MEDRANO PICKS OFF SAM DARNOLD FOR A PICK SIX!@Commanders extend their late lead

📺: FOX/FOX One pic.twitter.com/R4di9f5PoL

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 27, 2026

Sonny Styles

Sonny Styles continues to look more comfortable every week. He intercepted Darnold in the third quarter, setting up Terry McLaurin’s touchdown three plays later, and later forced another fumble near the goal line. Styles finished with five tackles, two passes defended, an interception, and a forced fumble.

Sonny Styles was EVERYWHERE in Washington’s win over Seattle.

4 TKL, 1 INT, 2 PD, 1 FF, 1 QBH vs Seahawks

The rookie came away with his first career interception and forced a fumble against the defending champs. https://t.co/UMG5nOAliR pic.twitter.com/H3zRDCHDxE

— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) September 27, 2026

Terry McLaurin

Terry McLaurin finally had the type of game Washington has been waiting for. He caught six passes for 77 yards and a touchdown, with the biggest one coming on a 30-yard score after Sonny Styles’ interception. He also picked up a fourth-and-one late in the game to keep Washington’s go-ahead drive alive.

Rachaad White

Rachaad White didn’t put up huge numbers, but he made some big plays. He caught Washington’s first touchdown of the game, then came up with a 19-yard run on third-and-nine with less than two minutes left. That run helped keep Seattle from getting the ball back with a chance to win it.

Odafe Oweh

Odafe Oweh didn’t get a sack, but he still found a way to affect the game. He finished with two quarterback hits, and his pressure on Sam Darnold helped lead to Kain Medrano’s pick-six in the fourth quarter. That was about as big a pressure as Washington could have asked for.

Amik Robertson

Amik Robertson was all over the field Sunday. He finished with six tackles, four pass breakups, and forced the fumble that gave Washington its first takeaway of the season. Clearly, he got the message from Daronte Jones that the Commanders were going to have to ride his play.

Amik Robertson https://t.co/vhJTS9wYYU pic.twitter.com/eWOmlffA4L

— Full Command (@FullCommandShow) September 27, 2026

Losers

Pre-Snap Penalties

Washington has to get the pre-snap mistakes cleaned up. An illegal formation wiped out a 48-yard Jacory Croskey-Merritt touchdown, John Bates had a false start that helped kill another drive, and the Commanders were called for multiple illegal shifts later in the game. They survived it Sunday, but those mistakes easily could have cost them the game.

Antonio Williams

Antonio Williams had been nearly perfect through the first two weeks, but Sunday brought his first real mistake. Mariota put a deep ball right where it needed to be in the third quarter, and Williams couldn't bring it in on a play that could have been a touchdown. He finished with two catches for 15 yards on four targets.

Washington's Rushing Attack

Outside of Rachaad White's 19-yard run late, Washington struggled to get much going on the ground. The Commanders finished with 82 rushing yards on 32 attempts, while Croskey-Merritt managed just 36 yards on 19 carries. Washington won anyway, but 2.6 yards per carry isn't going to make life any easier for Mariota or Daniels moving forward.

Third Downs on Offense

Washington went just 3-of-13 on third down, which helped lead to seven Tress Way punts. The Commanders made enough plays when they absolutely had to, including Mariota's late third-down run, but too many drives ended before they ever had a chance to become something.

Late-Game Pass Defense

Washington's defense made some huge plays Sunday, but closing the game out became much harder than it needed to be. After Medrano's pick-six gave the Commanders a 33-24 lead, Seattle went 68 yards in just 1:06 to make it a two-point game. Darnold finished with 379 passing yards and four touchdowns, and Washington was fortunate its offense never had to give Seattle the ball back.

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