Mariota inspires Commanders to shock victory over Seattle

An intriguing NFC matchup in Washington saw the Commanders host the Seattle Seahawks, with both teams looking to move in opposite directions after contrasting starts to the 2026 season.

Washington entered the afternoon at 0-2, having lost franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels to an elbow injury last week, while Seattle had continued to cement itself as one of the early contenders in the NFC, beginning their title defense at 2-0. With Sam Darnold returning from injury, the Seahawks’ offensive firepower was tipped to be on full display throughout, but it was the Commanders who landed the first blow.

Marcus Mariota found Rachaad White for a six-yard touchdown to cap Washington’s opening scoring drive, giving the home side an early lead. Seattle struggled to establish anything on the ground, but Darnold shook off the rust quickly and found his rhythm through the air.

The Seahawks quarterback connected with Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a one-yard score, JSN’s 5th of the season, before Mariota continued a strong start to his first start of the year, responding with a touchdown pass to Treylon Burks. The two offenses continued trading blows, with Jason Myers and Drew Stevens both converting from 57 yards, as Washington held a 7-point advantage into halftime.

Washington continued the momentum coming out of the break, as Mariota delivered one of his best throws of the afternoon, finding Terry McLaurin for a 30-yard touchdown to extend the Commanders’ surprise lead.

A 2-touchdown deficit was enough to get Seattle’s offense to finally kick into gear and respond. Darnold found veteran tight end Eric Saubert for 13 yards in the end zone, as the play came with some drama as Saubert fumbled after crossing the goal line before recovering it himself.

The Seahawks then appeared to have completely flipped the game on its head early in the fourth quarter. Darnold connected with Smith-Njigba for an 11-yard, game-tying touchdown, levelling the scores at 24 apiece and seemingly setting the table for the visitors to steamroll Washington.

Washington immediately responded with another Stevens field goal, but it was the Commanders’ defense who then forced Darnold into a mistake that riddled the early stages of his career and ultimately decided the game. Darnold’s pass was intercepted by Kain Medrano, who returned it for a touchdown to put the Commanders ahead by 9 with less than five minutes remaining.

Yet Seattle refused to go quietly, as Darnold engineered another scoring drive and found Cooper Kupp for a seven-yard touchdown with under three minutes remaining to strike fear into home fans’ hearts.

The Commanders then did exactly what they needed to do. Rachaad White broke loose for 19 yards to move the chains, before Mariota added a crucial nine-yard scramble. Washington drained the remaining time and secured a dramatic victory.

For Seattle, the defeat will sting but they will have no choice but to move on quickly. The Seahawks amassed 437 yards and scored 31 points, but a trio of turnovers, including Darnold’s pick-six, proved costly. Washington, meanwhile, showed tremendous resilience to withstand Seattle’s late surge and secure its first win of the season.

Touchdowns
Seattle: Smith-Njigba 2, Saubert, Kupp
Washington: White, Burks, McLaurin

Top Performers
Seattle: Darnold, Smith-Njigba, Kupp, Thomas
Washington: Mariota, McLaurin, White, Way, Medrano, Styles

Injuries
Seattle: N/A
Washington: Chenal (neck)

Crowd: 64,027 at Northwest Stadium