Seattle Seahawks vs. Washington Commanders: Key Matchups to Watch

Seeking a rebound win to keep pace in the NFC West and playoff standings, the Seattle Seahawks will look to get their offense back on track in a Week 10 contest against the Washington Commanders with plenty of playoff implications.

Which matchups will decide who earns a hard-fought win on Sunday? Here are six positional battles to keep a close eye on at Lumen Field:

*Data courtesy of Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted.

--Seahawks cornerbacks Riq Woolen, Devon Witherspoon, and Tre Brown versus Commanders receivers Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, and Jahan Dotson: Making life easier on Sam Howell, the Commanders have surrounded the first-year starter with plenty of talent at the receiving positions, starting with the criminally underrated McLaurin. The former Ohio State star leads the team in receptions and receiving yards while ranking in the top 15 in the NFL in receptions and contested catches, though drops have been a little more of an issue than usual this season. Back from a toe injury, Samuel's running back background makes him a major problem with the ball in his hands, as 132 of his 332 yards so far this year have come after the catch and he's forced four missed tackles. Dotson, who splits time between the boundary and slot, has the breakaway speed to take the top off a defense and may be the team's best vertical threat.

With three talented receivers offering different strengths and skill sets for a quarterback who has shown himself more than willing to hang tough in the pocket to take shots downfield, Woolen, Witherspoon, and Brown will have their hands full in the secondary. Woolen and Brown will likely see most of their snaps against McLaurin and Dotson, who each have played more than 50 percent of their snaps as boundary receivers this season. Witherspoon may have the most intriguing matchup going against the 195-pound Samuel, who may be one of the toughest slots to tackle in space in the NFL and also can be utilized in the run game with jet sweeps and end arounds.

--Seahawks guards Phil Haynes and Damien Lewis, center Evan Brown versus Commanders defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Da'Ron Payne: For only the second time so far this season, the Seahawks will start the same offensive line in back-to-back weeks, and continuity undoubtedly will be a good thing for a group that has been dealing with injuries all year long. But even with Haynes back in the lineup last week, the team struggled to keep the Ravens' interior pass rush from disrupting the pocket and blowing up run plays and unfortunately, the Commanders have arguably a more talented defensive tackle group headlined by Allen and Payne in the middle. The former first-round picks have been bright spots for an otherwise poor defense, continuing to impact games as run and pass defenders.

Playing the bulk of his snaps covering the B-gap as a 3-tech, Haynes and Lewis will be tasked with dealing with Allen, who ranks sixth among defensive tackles with 30 quarterback pressures and third with eight quarterback hits. While Payne has enough size to line up over the center if needed and Brown may be matched up with him a few times on Sunday, he also has played the majority of his snaps in 3-tech alignment and though his statistics are down a bit this year, he's only one year removed from a double-digit sack season and has forced a pair of fumbles this year. Going against an opponent that is short-handed at the edge spots, preventing Allen and/or Payne from dominating in the interior will be crucial to Seattle's chances of offensive success.

--Seahawks defensive tackles Dre'Mont Jones, Leonard Williams, and Jarran Reed versus Commanders guards Sam Cosmi and Chris Paul, center Tyler Larsen: Dealing with their own turnover on the offensive line, the Commanders have had their share of injuries and rotations at guard and center, which has contributed to Howell being pressured on a league-worst 157 drop backs. The lone player to start all nine games in the interior, Cosmi has been respectable allowing 20 pressures and only one sack in pass protection. But after fellow starter Saadiq Charles landed on injured reserve, Paul has struggled as his replacement, yielding six pressures in just two starts so far. Larsen hasn't been much better replacing Nick Gates at center, surrendering eight pressures in two starts in the middle.

Unlike a week ago in Baltimore against a top-tier offensive line, given the fact Washington will be playing with two backups in the starting lineup, it should be feasting season for Jones, Williams, and Reed. All three veteran defenders rank in the top 25 among defensive tackles in quarterback pressures this season and considering Howell's propensity to hang onto the football scanning the field for receivers, there will be ample opportunities for the interior pass rush to get home and wreak havoc. This stands out as a clear matchup Seattle must absolutely take advantage of or it may be difficult to stop an offense with quality firepower on the outside.

--Seahawks receivers DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba versus Commanders cornerbacks Benjamin St. Juste, Kendall Fuller, and Danny Johnson: Playing at less than 100 percent health, Metcalf and Lockett have been battling through hip and hamstring injuries respectively and so far, they haven't produced gaudy numbers as they have in the past as a result. Still, they each rank in the top 40 in receptions and Metcalf is averaging north of 16 yards per catch, which ranks fifth among qualified receivers with at least 47 targets. Meanwhile, Smith-Njigba has started to find his footing in the slot and his chemistry with Geno Smith improves by week, leading the Seahawks in receiving yards (245) and receiving touchdowns (two) in four games since their Week 5 bye.

If there's an opponent for all three receivers to breakout against, the Commanders may be the ideal bounce back matchup. They currently rank 31st in explosive pass plays allowed and third in air yards allowed, as St. Juste has surrendered 489 yards on 39 receptions with two touchdowns and rookie Emmanuel Forbes has been torched for 458 yards and north of 19 yards per reception. Fuller has been the lone somewhat bright spot, as the veteran defender has picked off two passes, but he still has given up three touchdowns in coverage. Metcalf and Lockett should be licking their lips facing those three players, while Smith-Njigba also could have a great opportunity at success against Johnson, who quarterbacks have posted a 135.0 rating against when targeting in the slot this year.

--Seahawks safeties Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, and Julian Love versus Commanders tight end Logan Thomas: Compared to prior seasons, the Seahawks have actually done a pretty solid job this year of keeping tight ends at bay in the passing game, currently ranking outside the top 10 in receptions and receiving yards allowed at the position. They also have only allowed one touchdown to a tight end all season long. Historically, however, they have had issues in the past against quality receiving tight ends and Thomas previously recorded 13 receptions for 101 yards against them in a game in 2020 when Diggs and Adams both played that day.

With that said, Adams and Diggs both started against Washington in a low-scoring Monday night game in 2021 and held Thomas in check, limiting him to three receptions on six targets for 31 yards. In that contest, Diggs blasted the athletic tight end over the middle, causing the pass to pop up in the air for Adams to run underneath it for an interception. Ranking fourth on the team in receptions and receiving yards with three touchdowns so far this year, Howell will likely look for Thomas often on Sunday, and how Seattle's safeties handle him in coverage could be a major factor in deciding who exits with a win.

--Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith versus Commanders safeties Percy Butler and Kamren Curl: Contributing to Washington's issues defending the pass and allowing explosive plays, the safety position has been a letdown for the Commanders to this point. While Curl has had a solid season with three pass breakups and no touchdowns allowed in coverage, he has spent extensive time in the box to take advantage of his physicality against the run and match up against tight ends. Butler, on the other hand, has played most of his snaps as a deep free safety and frequently been torched, giving up 24 yards per reception and four touchdowns on seven completions in coverage.

Unlike a year ago, Smith hasn't been able to connect on many deep balls this season, in part due to lack of pass protection in front of him behind a banged-up offensive line. But the Commanders have been vulnerable to chunk plays all year long, including Butler surrendering a 20-yard touchdown to D.J. Moore in a blowout loss to the Bears and a pair of 50-plus yard touchdowns to the Broncos earlier this season. The veteran quarterback should be looking for shot opportunities and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron can help his cause by setting up more under center play action calls to take advantage of a defensive backfield that has had more than its share of problems covering receivers and tight ends this season.