The opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the team.
The Washington Commanders punctuated their first home game of the 2026 season with a victory over the defending Super Bowl champions. Quarterback Marcus Mariota, linebacker Sonny Styles and linebacker Kain Medrano put on standout performances to help down the Seahawks, 33-31, in Week 3 and make it five consecutive wins in the last five home openers for the Burgundy & Gold.
Marcus Mariota
With Jayden Daniels out, head coach Dan Quinn has expressed full confidence in Mariota's ability to command this offense. His leadership, experience and connections within the team make him someone who is not only easy to rally around but more than capable of making plays.
"We didn't blink," Mariota said in his postgame press conference, and the veteran quarterback spearheaded the clear-eyed, inspiring effort against the defending Super Bowl champions in Washington's home opener. He made quick, smart decisions, taking checkdowns instead of forcing throws. He showed off his arm strength in deep passes to Terry McLaurin and threaded the needle in shorter attempts.
And while he may not have the speed of a younger quarterback, Mariota was able to get key yardage with his legs. Perhaps his biggest moment came when he iced the game. On third-and-7 with Washington fighting to hold on to a two-point lead, Mariota faked out the defense, kept the ball and ran for nine yards. All he had to do was kneel from there.
It was a stirring, dominant performance that highlighted what's possible with the offense. Scoring 33 points against the Seahawks, who came into this game allowing just 8.5 points per contest, is nothing to scoff at. Mariota finished the Week 3 victory with 19 completions on 31 attempts, 183 yards, zero interceptions and three touchdowns. It was the first time since Week 8 of the 2022 season that the quarterback has thrown for three touchdowns in a game.
"I believe this team has a chance to do some really, really good things," he said after the win.
Sonny Styles
In a rainy affair at Northwest Stadium, Styles shined during his regular season home debut. The 2026 first-round pick racked up five tackles, one quarterback hit, one hurry, one forced fumble and two pass breakups in the Week 3 win. Styles didn't need any time to heat up. In the first quarter, he did well to swarm along the front on runs, making Seattle feel his presence and helping the defense to force the Seahawks to punt, fumble and punt on their first three possessions.
Speaking of that fumble, Styles was the star of the moment. Only four minutes into the game, the rookie linebacker punched out a ball being carried by Seattle running back Jadarian Price on a Seahawks first down. Tim Settle then recovered the loose ball for Washington's first defensive turnover of the season. The play made him the first Washington rookie linebacker to force a fumble since the 2019 season.
The fumble wasn't his only involvement in a takeaway during the win. In the third quarter, he leapt up to secure a tipped ball and bag his first career interception. While he was a menace in typical linebacker spaces, he also flexed his athleticism and caused problems a bit beyond that zone. In the second quarter, Styles tracked a pass to Price and swatted the ball away.
"I'm not anywhere near where I want to be," Styles said in his postgame press conference.
Kain Medrano
Medrano, who has mostly occupied a special teams role since becoming a Commander two years ago, was ready when his number was called on defense today. Frankie Luvu has been out with an injury picked up in Week 1. Jordan Magee is on IR. In the first half, a collision forced Leo Chenal out of the game with a neck injury. Coming out of the locker room for the second half against the Seahawks, the Commanders were without three of their key contributors at the position.
Medrano was next man up. He took care of business mostly quietly, ensuring the defense kept up the intensity. Medrano made a few strong tackles and almost got a sack on Darnold. However, his biggest moment -- the moment that earned him a game ball from Quinn -- came in the fourth quarter. Momentum had swung Seattle's way, and the visitors were chipping away at Washington's lead. On second-and-15 and Seattle down by just three, Medrano read a Darnold pass to A.J. Barner and took it 50 yards into the end zone.
"They kept hitting those checkdowns a couple times. I had one or two missed tackles on some checkdowns, so I know they were gonna come back to it. Just didn't know when, and they happened to come back to it, and I was in the right place at the right time," Medrano said.
The play crucially helped to take some wind out of Seattle's sails. McLaurin called it "unbelievable." The linebacker said he prepares every week as if he's going to play and when he gets his opportunities, he has to make the most of them.
