The Seattle Seahawks saw their unbeaten start to the season come to an end with a 33-31 loss to Marcus Mariota and the Washington Commanders. It was a tough day for Seattle in Sam Darnold’s quick return, and while there were bright spots on both sides of the ball, the mistakes and shortcomings outweighed them. Here are two winners and three losers from the Seahawks’ first loss of the year.

The franchise-record 12 game win streak has come to an end and Seattle is left with the sobering reality of defeat for the first time in a while. 

Winners

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Jaxon Smith-Njigba continues to prove he is the No. 1 wide receiver in football. He hauled in 10 receptions for 128 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 14 targets. He looked great with Drew Lock, and he got Darnold back today and looked great again. The consistency is what separates him. It doesn’t matter who is throwing him the ball. Smith-Njigba is producing at an elite level week in and week out, and it’s carrying this Seattle offense. 

Leonard Williams

On the defensive side, Leonard Williams made his presence felt in a major way. The Big Cat posted a sack, two tackles for loss, and three quarterback hits. The Seattle front was getting after Mariota at times, and Williams was a huge part of that. He made big plays when the Seahawks needed them up front.

On a tough day for that unit, Williams certainly shined as he often does. The Commanders could not stop the Seahawks star. 

Losers

Sam Darnold

Now, this one isn’t what you think. Darnold did not have a horrible game by any stretch of the imagination. He threw for 379 yards and four touchdowns. The issue comes down to two interceptions, really the second of the two. The first pick was not Darnold’s fault. It was a tipped ball at the line, just an unfortunate play and a good grab by Commanders rookie Sonny Styles. The second one, though, was a different story. 

The interception taken for six by Commanders linebacker Kain Medrano was a ball Darnold should not have thrown and definitely wanted back. It put the nail in the coffin, with Washington going up two possessions. Seattle went down and scored right after, but the deficit with little time remaining was too much to overcome. A bad play at the worst possible time.

Jadarian Price and the run game

Rookie running back Jadarian Price and the Seattle run game as a whole were a problem. The Seahawks ran 18 times for only 44 yards. That is nowhere near enough to help out Darnold in the passing game. Seattle had to go to the air 45 times to find any sort of offensive explosion, and that’s not a sustainable formula. Price also lost a fumble on the day. It was a tough game for a rookie who had a good training camp and a strong start to the season.

The defense struggles (mainly in the back half)

Look, the front of the defensive line played well. Leonard Williams and the pass rush showed up. But the Seahawks allowed 33 points to a Commanders offense led by Marcus Mariota. The pick-six played into that total, so Seattle’s defense didn’t give up all 33 on its own. Still, Mariota threw three touchdowns with zero interceptions, and the back half of the Seahawks defense gave up a good bit.

When the secondary can’t hold up its end of the bargain, it doesn’t matter how well the defensive line plays. Seattle’s defense is capable of much more.

On to the month of October

The Seahawks are going to be fine. One loss does not erase the strong start to the season. But the run game has to get going, and the secondary has to tighten up if Seattle wants to stay on track. They currently sit in a good spot with two wins to only one loss and an undefeated record in the division. October presents Seattle with a tough slate as they are scheduled to face the Chargers, 49ers, Broncos and Chiefs. Let’s wait and see how they fare.