The Washington Commanders walked into Sunday carrying a pile of problems and a 0-2 record, and they were missing key pieces on both sides of the ball. Jayden Daniels was already sidelined after another dislocated elbow, his second in as many seasons. Plenty of people had already written the script.
The Seahawks, the defending Super Bowl champions, were supposed to be too much at Northwest Stadium. The weather got ugly, the roster was thin, and the situation looked shaky before the opening kick. But the Commanders never played like a team ready to fold.
Instead, they came out with urgency and edge, and that mattered from the start. They hung around, they made the kind of plays they had not been making in the first two weeks, and they kept feeding off the crowd as the game tightened. By the fourth quarter, second-year linebacker Kain Medrano delivered the turning point with a pick-six, and Washington had the upset it desperately needed.
That one play did more than swing the score. It flipped the mood around the entire season, at least for now.
The Commanders are 1-2 instead of 0-3, and that alone changes the conversation. It also makes the trip to London a little easier to face.
There was a real danger that this season could start sliding fast. Seattle looked like a brutal matchup for a depleted roster, and that kind of spot can expose a team’s cracks in a hurry. But Washington answered the moment, and that says something about the group Dan Quinn has built.
Quinn admitted the performance was not clean. Still, he was clearly encouraged by how his players responded when the game started to demand toughness and resilience.
“It wasn’t perfect by any stretch … but I think it shows some of the resolve. … For the guys that are stepping in and being able to deliver, that’s a big deal.”
That’s the part the Commanders will want to bottle. When a team is struggling, effort and fight can feel like the bare minimum.
Washington gave more than that. It played with enough discipline and enough complementary football to stay in the fight, and the first turnover of the season helped too.
Even without a full deck, the Commanders found a way to make it work for four quarters. If they can carry that same formula into next weekend against the Indianapolis Colts, a 2-2 start is right there for the taking.
For Quinn, this had to feel like proof of concept. His team was short-handed, under pressure, and facing a top opponent, and it still found a way to land the punch that mattered most. If this becomes the start of something, Washington may have just turned its season around.
In Other News...
Commanders Shocked Seattle But One Problem Still Wont Go Away
The Commanders got the kind of home-opening jolt they needed against Seattle, even after losing Jayden Daniels to a dislocated elbow. Marcus Mariota stepped in at quarterback, and Washington played with better urgency from the start, while the defense set the tone early and helped turn an unexpected afternoon into a much-needed win.
Mike Sainristil's limited playing time remained a notable concern, but the bigger issue may be one Washington keeps carrying with it from week to week. The improved energy was real, yet the pre-snap discipline problems still showed up enough to keep the performance from feeling fully clean, and that is the sort of thing that can linger even after a result like this. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Head To London With Jonathan Taylor Facing A Familiar Problem
The Commanders head into London with both teams sitting at 1-2 after each finally got into the win column in Week 3. It is a tidy early-season reset for a matchup at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Washington will get a chance to measure itself against an Indianapolis team that has shown enough to keep this one from feeling like a throwaway overseas trip.
For Washington, the bigger draw is the betting angle around a game that should be shaped by how these two teams have looked through three weeks and by the way key players have performed so far. Indianapolis arrives with Jonathan Taylor carrying a familiar concern into the matchup, which only adds another layer to a game that already feels like a useful early read on where both clubs stand. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Turn Back To Austin Ekeler With Run Game Questions
Austin Ekeler is on track to return to Washington, with the Commanders reportedly planning to bring back the veteran running back once he clears a physical. It is a familiar name at a familiar position for a team still trying to steady its run game, and the move would give Washington a proven back who already knows the system and the expectations around it.
Ekelers path back has been a long one after the torn Achilles tendon that ended his 2025 season, but he has resumed football activities and has stayed on the radar around the league. He recently worked out with the Carolina Panthers and left without a contract offer, which makes Washingtons interest all the more notable as the Commanders weigh what they need from the backfield and how much they can still count on a player working his way back. [Read more 🡒]