The Washington Commanders are coming back to Northwest Stadium for a primetime matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football. Here are three keys to them ending their three-game losing streak.
1. Get the run game back on track.
It won't be easy for the Commanders to get their running game going against Seattle's defense. The unit allows the fewest yards per game at just 75.7 yards and the lowest yards per attempt (3.3). They've given up just two rushing touchdowns all year and the lowest opponent rushing first down percentage (21.32%).
And yet, the Commanders, whose offense is at its best when running the ball, must find a way to get around all that to give themselves the best chance of winning on Sunday.
Washington's run game has been out of sync over the last three weeks. They're 20th in rushing during their losing streak, which is partially the result of them being in double-digit deficits. Head coach Dan Quinn wants the run game to get back on course "in the best of ways," even if that means settling for runs resulting in minimal gains.
"It can be frustrating, but you just dig, and you keep banging for it and you stay into that spot."
There could be a lot of frustrating runs for the Commanders on Sunday, as the Seahawks have allowed just two 15-yard gains on the ground all year. They'll need to rely on all their options in their ground attack, from Jacory Croskey-Merritt to Jayden Daniels and even Deebo Samuel, to chip away at the wall that has been Seattle's defense.
2. Keep up the defensive energy for four quarters.
The Commanders came out with a high level of energy against the Kansas City Chiefs, which Patrick Mahomes admitted after the game caught him and his offense off guard. It led them to force two turnovers, equaling their yearly total in one quarter. They couldn't maintain that energy in the second half, though, which allowed the Chiefs to score 21 unanswered points.
Although the Seahawks' offense hasn't been as efficient as that of the Chiefs, the Commanders cannot afford to have an uneven performance against them. They're tied for fifth in points per game and score touchdowns on 68% of their trips to the red zone. They're third in yards per play, thanks in part to Jaxon Smith-Njigba leading the league in receiving yards and Sam Darnold ranking seventh in QBR.
The hope is that the Commanders' defense can play the way it did in the first half of the Chiefs game for the entire night against the Seahawks. The Chiefs had 156 total yards in the first half, while Mahomes was limited to eight completions for 89 yards on 15 attempts. The Commanders only sacked Mahomes once, but they were consistently in the quarterback's face and forced him to make errant throws.
Like the offense establishing a solid ground attack, it will be difficult to get pressure on Darnold while working against an offensive line that has given up the second-fewest sacks in the league. But the Commanders aren't in a position where they can settle with letting Darnold work unbothered in the backfield. They must find a way to disrupt him and stay consistent with it for the entire night.
3. Finish drives.
The Commanders had three wasted drives to start the night against the Chiefs. One ended with an interception, while the other two were stalled on failed fourth-down conversions. Quinn wanted the team to be aggressive, and there was some logic to it going against a Chiefs offense that could seemingly score at will.
Although it was an admirable approach to the game, the Commanders couldn't finish those drives. It's an issue that has lingered all year, and it's one that Washington needs to fix.
"I think the last two weeks, we've been inside the 40, the plus 40 [on] like eight trips and got seven points, zero points, something like that," offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said. "So, to me, just consistently executing the routine plays isn't showing up."
The Seahawks, while not a perfect offense, do know how to finish drives. They rank fourth in points per play and put up most of their points early, as they rank second in average points scored in the first quarter and ninth in points scored in the second. They are tied for the third most giveaways this season, but the Commanders can't rely on that to maintain momentum, particularly with a defense that has generated the third-fewest takeaways.
The Commanders could get a boost this weekend at quarterback, assuming Daniels is cleared after missing the Chiefs game with a hamstring injury. There is a path to the Commanders pulling out an upset at home, but they must make sure every drive ends with points.
