The opinions expressed in this article do not reflect those of the team.
The Washington Commanders are playing at home for the first time this season against the Seattle Seahawks. Here are three keys to them pulling out a win.
1. Contain JSN.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been one of the league's best wideouts in recent years, and it looks like that trend is continuing three weeks into the 2026 season. He's already second in the league in receiving yards (277) and tied for first in receiving touchdowns. Backup quarterback Drew Lock has targeted Smith-Njigba often, as he accounts for 54% of the team's air yards, and he's caught 77% of his targets.
This presents a problem for the Commanders, not just because he's an elite talent, but also because their defense has struggled with containing explosive plays, particularly in the passing game. For example, Dallas Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb averaged nearly 20 yards per catch against the Commanders' secondary and accounted for nearly half of Dak Prescott's passing yards.
"He led the league in explosives last year with 29, and so he provides that, but he also provides a level of finding spacing underneath the coverage," said Commanders defensive coordinator Daronte Jones. "And so, premium awareness is one of the things we're harping on, and you gotta know where these guys are at all times and everyone, not just secondary -- defensive linemen, linebackers -- has to know where he is because he can break the game wide open."
The Commanders' best hope against Smith-Njigba might be to get more physical with him at the line of scrimmage. He ranks 36th among wide receivers against man coverage, according to Pro Football Focus, catching only two of his five targets. The Commanders don't have bigger cornerbacks on their roster, but perhaps players like Amik Robertson, who doesn't shy away from physical coverage, or Rasul Douglas could be a suitable matchup for him.
2. Rally around Marcus Mariota.
The Commanders have received positive news regarding Jayden Daniels' status for the season after the quarterback dislocated his elbow against the Dallas Cowboys, but at least for this week, Mariota is going to be under center. It will be a daunting task, as the Seahawks boast one of the top two stingiest defenses in the league. Still, the Commanders believe in Mariota and intend to rally around him.
"There's nobody easier to rally around than him," Quinn said. "When you ask anybody on our team who some of our greatest leaders are, whether it's on or off the field, Marcus is somebody that constantly comes up."
Although the Commanders are down some key offensive players, they do have pieces that can help take some pressure off Mariota against one of the most efficient defenses in the league. Their running game is fourth in the league with 157 yards per game and averages 4.9 yards per carry. Granted, nearly a third of the Commanders' rushing production has come from Daniels, who is currently second among quarterbacks in rushing yards, but the team designed the backfield with the hope that the trio of Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White and Kaytron Allen could elevate the entire offense.
The Commanders could also try to get Terry McLaurin more involved in the passing game. McLaurin only has four catches through two games, although some of that can be credited to the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys trying to take him away as an option. Still, the Commanders and McLaurin are looking to remedy that issue and have confidence in Mariota.
"He calls the plays really well," McLaurin said. "The offense is still open. So, we're going to rally around him and make plays."
3. Generate meaningful pressure.
The Commanders sacked Prescott twice last weekend, but the Cowboys' quarterback was a problem for the defense throughout the afternoon. He threw four touchdown passes and completed 83.9% of his passes, largely because the Commanders had issues putting pressure on him in the pocket.
The Commanders have been one of the more blitz-heavy teams up to this point in the season, rushing extra defenders on 36.8% of their snaps. It's led to pressure for quarterbacks 30.9% of the time, although much of that came from the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, when they managed to disrupt Jalen Hurts' progression.
Things were different against the Cowboys and Prescott. He was 7-of-11 when under pressure against the Commanders; when kept clean, he was 17-of-18 for 178 yards. All four of his touchdowns came when he was not under duress.
It looks like Sam Darnold is going to start for the Seahawks, but no matter who is under center, the Commanders must find a way to collapse the pocket. They're facing a solid Seahawks offensive line, although the group ranks 29th in pass block win rate. If Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson can win their matchups on the edge, it would make life much easier on the secondary and whoever is covering Smith-Njigba.
