The Washington Commanders needed a jolt, and they got one from an unexpected place in a Week 3 upset of the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
Marcus Mariota held things together in Jayden Daniels’ absence, Sonny Styles forced a fumble and added an interception, and Terry McLaurin looked every bit like a Pro Bowl receiver again. But the play that swung the afternoon belonged to Kain Medrano, a second-year linebacker who had not played a single defensive snap in a regular-season game before Sunday.
By the end of the day, the 2025 sixth-round pick had a pick-six on his résumé.
That moment came early in the fourth quarter, with the game hanging in the balance. Washington had built a 14-point lead, watched Seattle erase it, and then reclaimed the edge with a field goal to open the final quarter. The Seahawks still had momentum, and the Commanders needed someone on defense to change the script.
Seattle ended up in a second-and-long after a first-down penalty, and Odafe Oweh got pressure on Sam Darnold. Darnold released the ball toward tight end AJ Barner, but Medrano jumped the route and returned the interception for a touchdown.
It was the difference in a two-point win.
Washington’s linebacker depth was already being tested. Frankie Luvu missed his second straight game, and Leo Chenal was carted off in the first half with a neck injury. With Jordan Magee on injured reserve for at least another week, the Commanders may need Medrano and possibly Ale Kaho to handle more of the load inside.
Dan Quinn has not been eager to trust Medrano with defensive snaps, but the former UCLA standout has long been viewed as a project with real athletic upside. Washington has handled him carefully, and that patience paid off in the biggest way Sunday.
He has shown he can make plays on defense and on special teams, and under new coordinator Daronte Jones, takeaways matter. The Commanders drafted Medrano because they believed there was something there. On Sunday, he gave everyone else the proof.
In Other News...
Commanders Shocked Seattle But One Problem Still Wont Go Away
The Commanders left their home opener with an eye-opening win over Seattle, and the result was even more impressive because it came after Jayden Daniels went down with a dislocated elbow. Marcus Mariota stepped in at quarterback, while Washington played with noticeably more urgency and got an early lift from a defense that looked far sharper than it had in recent weeks.
Mike Sainristils limited playing time was one piece of the postgame conversation, but the larger concern lingered in the same familiar place. Washington still had trouble staying clean before the snap, and those discipline issues keep hanging around even after a victory that should have been about relief and momentum. The Commanders got the upset they needed, but the details around how sustainable it really is are harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Lose Leo Chenal After Frightening Injury Scare
The second quarter brought a frightening pause for the Commanders when linebacker Leo Chenal went down against the Seahawks and had to be taken off the field on a cart. Washington later ruled him out with a neck injury, leaving the focus far bigger than the score and shifting attention immediately to Chenals condition.
There was a small measure of relief in the early reports, which indicated Chenal was able to move his arms and legs as he was being removed from the field. Even so, any neck injury draws instant concern, and the Commanders will be waiting on further updates as they try to sort through both the medical outlook and the on-field void left behind. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Finally Won But One Big Question Still Looms
The Commanders finally got the result they had been chasing, knocking off a Seahawks team that had ripped off a 12-game winning streak and doing it with a clean, composed effort from Marcus Mariota. Making the start at quarterback, Mariota threw three touchdowns without a turnover, while Kain Medranos interception return for a score swung the game in Washingtons favor. Sonny Styles, Terry McLaurin and Rachaad White also had their moments in a win built around opportunistic defense and taking care of the ball.
Even with the seasons first victory in hand, the larger quarterback conversation in Washington has hardly gone away. Mariota delivered exactly what the Commanders needed in this one, but the context around his start means the position remains one of the most closely watched parts of the roster going forward. A win like this buys breathing room, not closure, and that is what makes the next step so interesting for a team trying to turn one good Sunday into something more sustainable. [Read more 🡒]