Sam Darnold. That’s the story.
The Seattle Seahawks completely crushed the Washington Commanders on the road 38-14 in Week 9 of Sunday Night Football.
A 24-point second quarter in which everything went Seattle’s way proved too much for Washington to overcome in Jayden Daniels’ return. However, Daniels couldn’t complete the game as he suffered a gruesome left arm injury late in the fourth with the game out of reach.
It marked the second straight primetime loss for Washington having lost to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football last time out, though Marcus Mariota was under center.
Seattle improved to 6-2, level with the Los Angeles Rams and just above the 6-3 San Francisco 49ers in a tight NFC West. The Commanders, meanwhile, dropped to 3-6 after an NFC Championship Game appearance last season. A rematch against the Detroit Lions awaits, but Daniels’ injury changes the entire season outlook.
Let’s analyze Seattle’s commanding win over Washington further with takeaways:
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The Seahawks may be building something
This Seattle win will either go down as a statement or provide false hope. Beating this version of the Commanders isn’t so shocking, but the manner in which it was done is a tad different.
Darnold tore up Washington’s aging defense, throwing for 330 yards, four touchdowns and a pick on 21 of 24 completions under the lights. He went 16 of 16 in the first half with three scores.
Every Sam Darnold pass attempt from the first half
(hint: they're all completions 👀) pic.twitter.com/usKWatD8ip
— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2025
Barring dramatic injuries, Seattle is essentially a near-lock for the playoffs. But is it a true contender? That’ll rely on Darnold, who had similar outstanding regular-season showings last season in Minnesota before losing in the first playoff game with his flaws exposed. The 28-year-old will need to prove he’s gotten rid of the ghosts from his past with his new team.
Washington’s season could be all but done
The Commanders came into this season with plenty of optimism after reaching the NFC Championship Game. But with a poorly constructed defense and an offense that can’t stay healthy, it’s fair to believe Washington’s season is essentially done.
Already down multiple wideouts, Luke McCaffrey was ruled out early against Seattle. But the big blow obviously involved Daniels, as QB2 Marcus Mariota won’t be enough to elevate Washington into the playoffs despite a weak NFC East.
Additionally, with a team of veterans, maybe Washington becomes sellers at the deadline in an effort to lower its overall age and better build around Daniels for next season and beyond.
Dan Quinn makes costly mistake
The scoreline and performances were bad enough, but Commanders head coach Dan Quinn had one clear-cut terrible decision: Keeping Daniels on the field.
At 38-7 midway through the fourth, there was simply no need to have Daniels out there knowing the injury luck Washington has faced — including the 24-year-old himself.
Of course, Quinn couldn’t have predicted the level of Daniels’ injury. But part of being a head coach is planning for the future when games are either going or not going your way late on. Washington should be quite fortunate it wasn’t Daniels’ throwing arm, given the parallels to Robert Griffin III’s knee injury over a decade ago.
And now because of the decision to keep Daniels out there when the cons outweighed the pros, Washington’s 2025 chapter is headed to a sour ending despite such a propitious beginning.
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