Breaking down three key takeaways and four stats that stick out from the Washington Commanders week three win against the Seattle Seahawks
The Washington Commanders pulled off the upset to hand the Seattle Seahawks their first loss since week 11 in 2025 after a 33-31 finish opened up the 2026 home slate. Breaking down three key takeaways and stats from the win:
Marcus Mariota Alleviates Any QB Concerns
What to expect from Marcus Mariota may not have been as big of a question given his experience with the personnel from 2025, yet with his first expected start coming against the Super Bowl champions, how productive the veteran would be was a question.
That was answered quickly and consistently.
Mariota finished with 183 passing yards and three touchdowns while completing 19 of 31 attempts, recording three touchdowns in a game for the first time since week eight of the 2025 season. Yet how he did it mattered after nine different players caught a ball, including multiple accurate throws downfield whether it be to Terry McLaurin or Dyami Brown along the outside.
The veteran also sealed the game with a nine yard run on 3rd and seven, setting up victory formation to finalize the home win. Washington may not have to wait long until Jayden Daniels returns with a question whether he returns for the week five matchup against the New York Giants, but week three showed that Mariota is more than serviceable to lead the offense.
Sonny Styles Breaks Out at Home
The Ohio State product made as good of a first impression he could in his first game inside Northwest Stadium.
The rookie linebacker finished with four solo tackles, five total tackles, a pair of pass deflections and quarterback hit. One of those deflections came while covering Seahawks running back Jadarian Price down the sideline in the final two minutes of the first half, breaking up a potential redzone opportunity as the defense eventually forced Jason Myer into a 58 yard field goal.
Of course, Styles' first NFL interception in the opening minutes of the second half helped the Commanders extend its first half momentum into a two possession lead. It appeared the rookie would give the Commanders their first takeaway of the day before cornerback Amik Robertson was credited with the forced fumble midway through the first quarter. He nearly forced another takeaway in the third quarter after stripping tight Eric Saubert at the goal line before recovering his own fumble.
Sunday marked a statement for Styles as an impact piece in the Commanders' front seven.
Amik Robertson Shines In Secondary
For all the concerns about the secondary, his Amik Robertson went a long way to filling the void after linebacker Sonny Styles noted the cornerback's "dog mentality is contagious."
His four pass deflections in the first half marked the most by a Washington defender through the first half in 20 years, an impressive feat given he drew the assignment against Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. JSN still managed to find his production after posting 128 yards and two touchdowns, one against Robertson, on ten catches and 14 targets.
Robertson, meanwhile, finished the game with four catches for 49 yards and one touchdown on nine targets and 62 defensive snaps. Yet he was a big part in the Commanders finishing with ten pass deflections, doing so with Rasul Douglas joining him on the field while Mike Sainristil played just 25 snaps, allowing two touchdowns and catches on all four targets allowed. With Robertson stepping up, maybe an underrated storyline coming out of the week three win is Sainristil potentially falling out of the rotation after a shaky start to 2026.
Numbers That Jump Out
12...the number of games played since the Commanders last recorded a pair of interceptions in a game, last doing so in a 28-7 loss against the Chiefs in Kansas City last season. "We've got a big wall outside of my office for takeaways. And so for two weeks, it has been empty, devastatingly empty," head coach Dan Quinn said after the win. "To have some that get filled up onto that was a big deal." Under a defensive coordinator that made takeaways a key piece of his introductory press conference, Sunday marked a win for Daronte Jones.
21...in a game where the Commanders were efficient on offense, it helped turning three turnovers into 21 points. After turning just ten turnovers into 29 points -- all of 2025 -- it's a welcomed reversal, especially for an offense that has worked to find consistency through the first three weeks of the regular season.
44...after entering the game averaging over 129 yards per game on the ground through two games, ranked ninth in the league, Washington limited the Seahawks to just 44 rushing yards. That includes just 15 yards on five carries from rookie Jadarian Price, who kicked off the game with an 11 yard run. After averaging four yards per carry in each of the first two games, Seattle averaged just 2.4 yards per carry against Washington's defense.
199...punter Tress Way played in his 199th career game on Sunday, meaning the week four matchup against the Indianapolis Colts will mark his 200th, making him the fifth player in franchise history to reach the mark.
