The Commanders’ main goal to beat the Seahawks is by stopping one of the best duos in the league
The Commanders need to make a statement against a big test.
The Washington Commanders need to get a win to save their season, and they’re hosting the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football for Week 9.
The team will once again be short-handed with Terry McLaurin out for his fifth game of the season after re-injuring his quad last week. It will take a full team effort to beat a good team like the Seahawks, but the main goal is very clear.
If you want to get a win and get back on track, you have to stop the duo of Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Sam Darnold is playing elite football this season
When you heard the name Darnold before, you would think of an NFL draft bust, but now his recent resurgence needs to be respected. Darnold is one of the best quarterbacks in the league this season, in just his first year in the Seahawks system. Through the first seven games, Darnold has 1,754 passing yards for 12 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He’s taking care of the ball and has a turnover-worthy play rate of only 1.6%, which is sixth best in the league.
Darnold is also willing to throw it deep and has the highest average depth of target in the league at 9.2 yards. He also knows how to avoid sacks and has only been put on the ground nine times, with the ninth-best pressure-to-sack rate in the league at 14.3%. The Commanders’ defense has been the obvious weakness this season, and they will have their hands full if you don’t respect what Darnold can do. You have to have someone to throw to, however, and Darnold has the best weapon in the league this season.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is having a record-breaking season
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is having a season that can break records with the pace he’s on. He was selected as the NFC Offensive Player of the Month and the league’s leading receiver. The Seahawks already had their bye week, and he’s still the leading receiver in the league by 100 yards, which is insane to think about.
The Commanders’ secondary had flashes in the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs, but then showed their problems once more in the second half. The Seahawks will move Smith-Njigba around and create nightmare matchups against Bobby Wagner and the safeties. The Commanders have been the one team this season that allows the WR1 on an opposing offense to have a massive game.
The only way the Commanders can win this game without McLaurin is by getting stops throughout the game on defense and allowing Jayden Daniels to create magic on the other side of the ball. Either the Commanders get a quality win to save the season, or the Commanders’ playoff hopes fall to very low odds.
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