No Jayden Daniels? No problem for the Commanders today, as backup quarterback Marcus Mariota turned in an incredible effort against the stout Seahawks’ defense, leading Washington to a 33-31 win.
Mariota sealed the Commanders’ win with a nine-yard run on third-and-7 with 1:15 remaining, and that was just the last of a number of spectacular plays by Mariota, who played very well against this Seahawks defense that has shut down so many quarterbacks over the last two years.
The 32-year-old Mariota finished 19 of 31 for 183 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold returned from his Week 1 injury and completed 31 of 45 passes for 379 yards, with four touchdowns and two interceptions. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was, as usual, Darnold’s favorite receiver, with 10 catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
Today’s game serves to show just how unpredictable the NFL is, especially early in the season, when there is still so much we don’t know about every team. The Seahawks opened the season 2-0 and looking like perhaps the best team in the NFL. The Commanders entered today 0-2 and, without Daniels, looked like one of the worst teams in the NFL. But that’s why they play the games.
Seahawks Clips
Commanders linebacker Leo Chenal suffered a potentially serious neck injury today against the Seahawks.
Chenal ran head-first into Seahawks running back Emmanuel Wilson and immediately went down. Chenal was on the ground for a few minutes while the medical staff attended to him, then put on a stretcher and carted off the field.
Every Commanders player left the sideline to surround Chenal on the field, with players clearly concerned about their teammate. The crowd in Washington chanted “Leo! Leo!” in support.
Chenal was moving his arms and legs as he was carted off and seemed to be gesturing to his teammates and fans that he was going to be OK. The Commanders later announced that Chenal is out for the game with a neck injury.
The Commanders lead the Seahawks 14-7 late in the second quarter.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has thrown his first touchdown pass this season, and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has caught his fifth.
Darnold hit Smith-Njigba in the end zone for a one-yard touchdown, after the Seahawks got to the 1-yard line because the Commanders committed pass interference on Smith-Njigba in the end zone.
This is Darnold’s first action since he was injured on the first drive of the first game of the season. But the Seahawks have been winning without him, thanks in large part to Smith-Njigba, who leads the NFL in touchdown catches, having caught four from Drew Lock and now one from Darnold.
It’s 7-7 in the second quarter in rainy Washington.
The underdog Commanders have taken a surprising early lead over the defending champion Seahawks today.
Seahawks rookie running back Jadarian Price fumbled in the first quarter, setting up the Commanders in great field position, and Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota quickly hit Rachaad White for a six-yard touchdown pass.
The touchdown gave Washington a 7-0 lead at home.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is back from his Week 1 injury, and in the early going he has looked a little rusty. There’s still plenty of time for the Seahawks to get it together, but in the early going they’re struggling against a team they were favored to beat easily.
Bills wide receiver DJ Moore hurt his shoulder in a Week 2 win over the Lions, but he had more than a week to recover from the injury and that was enough time for him to get cleared for action.
Moore is active for the Bills as they try to move to 3-0 on the season at home against the 0-2 Chargers. The Bills will also get defensive tackle Ed Oliver back in the lineup. Oliver missed the Lions game after injuring his hip in pregame warmups and was listed as questionable along with Moore and wide receiver Keon Coleman.
Coleman is also active for Buffalo while backup quarterback Trey Lance is active for the Chargers. DJ Uiagalelei was summoned from the practice squad as insurance after Lance was listed as questionable, but there will be no change behind Justin Herbert.
Chargers at Bills
Chargers: S Elijah Molden, QB DJ Uiagalelei, OL Alex Harkey, G Kayode Awosika, TE Charlie Kolar, WR Brenen Thompson, DT Dalvin Tomlinson
Bills: WR Skyler Bell, OL Jude Bowry, OL Ar’maj Reed-Adams, DL T.J. Sanders, LB Mike Danna, S Jalon Kilgore
Panthers at Browns
Panthers: TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, QB Haynes King, WR Xavier Legette, S Nick Scott, LB Devin Lloyd, OT Albert Reese, DT Cam Jackson
Browns: CB Tyson Campbell, QB Taylen Green, LB Justin Jefferson, C Parker Brailsford, G Teven Jenkins
Jets at Lions
Jets: WR Adonai Mitchell, DB Minkah Fitzpatrick, TE Mason Taylor, RB Kene Nwangwu, CB Nahshon Wright, K Blake Grupe, LB Kiko Mauigoa
Lions: G Ben Bartch, TE Tyler Conklin, S Bishop Fitzgerald, DL Ahmed Hassanein, LB Devin White, DL Mekhi Wingo
Texans at Colts
Texans: TE Brevin Jordan, CB Collin Wright, WR Nico Collins, G Ed Ingram, DE Jadeveon Clowney, OL Nate Thomas
Colts: WR Ashton Dulin, WR Darius Slayton, DE George Gumbs, G Dailton Tucker, RB DJ Giddens, QB Riley Leonard
Patriots at Jaguars
Patriots: S Craig Woodson, LB Dre’Mont Jones, QB Behren Morton, OT Dametrious Crownover, TE Eli Raridon, DT Leonard Taylor
Jaguars: WR CJ Williams, S Jalen Huskey, LB Jack Kiser, OL Daniel Faalele, DE Wesley Williams, DT Albert Regis
Chiefs at Dolphins
Chiefs: TE Jared Wiley, QB Garrett Nussmeier, DB Chamarri Conner, DE Jack Pyburn, OT Josh Simmons, DE Tyreke Smith
Dolphins: QB Brady Cook, WR Caleb Douglas, RB Jaylen Wright, CB Marcellus Dial, OL DJ Campbell, DL Rob Beal Jr., OL Chukweubuka Godrick
Titans at Giants
Titans: OL Atonio Mafi, DL Jackie Marshall, OL Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, TE Kylen Granson, DB Jaylon Jones, RB Michael Carter
Giants: RB Devin Singletary, TE Thomas Fidone, OL J.C. Davis, DL Josh Tupou, DL Bobby Jamison-Travis, CB Deonte Banks, S Tyler Nubin
Bengals at Steelers
Bengals: CB Josh Newton, C Connor Lew, OT Myles Hinton, TE Jack Endries, DT BJ Hill, DT Landon Robinson
Steelers: RB Rico Dowdle, QB Drew Allar, QB Will Howard, CB Joey Porter Jr., RB Eli Heidenreich, DT Kevin Jobity Jr., DT Gabriel Rubio
Seahawks at Commanders
Seahawks: S Julian Love, S Ty Okada, DT Brandon Pili, QB Jalen Milroe, WR Montorie Foster, CB Avery Smith, LB Connor O’Toole
Commanders: QB Jayden Daniels, LB Frankie Luvu, LB Javontae Jean-Baptiste, G Sam Cosmi, TE Chig Okonkwo
As of last Sunday night, there was optimism that an MRI would show that Bears quarterback Caleb Williams had suffered a Grade 1 hamstring injury. For six days, the Bears managed to keep the specific degree of the strain secret.
The secret is now out. ESPN reports that it’s a Grade 2 injury, which “could” keep Williams out of action for three to four weeks.
That’s on the short end of the usual window for a Grade 2 hamstring strain — three to eight weeks.
Whatever the specific grade (and there are surely shades of gray between 1 and 2), a hamstring injury needs time to recover. And then even more time. It can feel fine with normal running. Then, when the athlete hits full speed in a game, it can grab. And then it’s aggravated. And more time can be missed.
Tyson Bagent, once cleared from a concussion he suffered last Sunday, will be the starter. Case Keenum is Bagent’s backup.
Williams has already been ruled out for Monday night’s game against the Eagles. In Week 4, the Bears host the Jets before traveling to Green Bay and then Atlanta. Next up will be the two Super Bowl teams, with a home game against the Patriots in Week 7 and a Monday night visit to Seattle in Week 8.
Sam Darnold is ready to return to action for the Seahawks.
Darnold missed last Sunday’s win over the Cardinals with the glute injury that knocked him out of the season opener, but he returned to full practice on Thursday and is off the injury report entirely on Friday. Head coach Mike Macdonald called Darnold “ready to go” in his Friday press conference, so Drew Lock will move back to the bench after helping the team to two victories.
The news is not as good on the defensive side of the ball. Safeties Julian Love (calf) and Ty Okada (hamstring) have been ruled out.
Love was added to the injury report when he missed practice on Thursday while Okada has yet to play this season. Defensive tackle Brandon Pili (concussion) is considered questionable for Sunday’s road game.
After suffering a hip injury in Week 1, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is hoping to start in Week 3.
Darnold said today that he doesn’t know for sure whether he’ll play against the Commanders in Washington on Sunday, but that’s the goal.
“I’m really striving for that. I’m just taking it day by day, don’t want to jinx anything,” Darnold said.
Darnold said practice this week has gone well and given him hope that he’ll be medically cleared before Sunday.
“Feeling good. Taking it day by day, just balancing the reps and doing what I need to be ready,” Darnold said.
Despite Darnold playing only the first series of the first game, the Seahawks are 2-0, and Darnold credited backup quarterback Drew Lock for playing well in his absence.
“It was great to see Drew have success and our team have success, but when I was on the sideline I missed playing a ton,” Darnold said. “So it’s good to get back on the practice field this week and get out there.”
Now Darnold just needs medical clearance to get back out there on Sunday.
The NFL is reminding teams not to line up offside on the tush push.
In a video sent to all 32 teams this week, NFL officiating and rules analyst Walt Anderson used a Seahawks tush push, which was called for offensive offside, to illustrate the type of penalty that will be called.
“We have covered this before, but clubs are reminded on both sides of the ball to line up properly on these push plays,” Anderson said.
Anderson showed how the Seahawks were aligned on the play, which was snapped to tight end AJ Barner for a first down but called back because of the penalty, and said one Seahawk had both his hand and helmet in the neutral zone, and another had his hand in the neutral zone.
“Here, this hand is clearly offside, this head is clearly offside, as is the right hand of the tight end,” Anderson said.
During the unsuccessful attempt to ban the tush push in 2025, one of the arguments against it was that it was too hard to officiate. The league is still trying to make sure everyone understands exactly what will and will not be flagged.
Graham Bensinger’s recent interview with Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald made headlines not just for its content but for how the content was obtained — making Bensinger himself part of the story.
As a result, Bensinger posted the following statement on Twitter:
“Due to ongoing media requests for comment, I want to clarify the timeline surrounding a portion of our recent interview with Mike Macdonald that has received attention this week.
“The complete Mike Macdonald interview, including the conversation now at issue, was provided to Seahawks PR last Wednesday, September 16 — five days before it was published on YouTube Monday. During that time, no concern was raised about the exchange, and we were never asked to remove it. For the last couple of years, our typical practice with long-form interview releases has been to include some of the pre-interview conversation.
“Coach Macdonald reached out to me directly yesterday morning expressing concern. I immediately told him we would remove that portion, and we did. Unfortunately, it had already been clipped from our interview by online outlets and circulated elsewhere. I told Coach that, in hindsight, I regretted allowing that exchange to be included and that it was my error in judgment.
“I have tremendous respect for Coach. We spent significant time together in Seattle, and I came away impressed not only by what he has accomplished in such a short period of time, but by the person he is. The last thing I want is for one exchange to overshadow that story. I also have great respect for Sean Payton, whom I had the opportunity to profile previously.”
It will be interesting to see whether the Seahawks agree that the full conversation, including the segment regarding the 2024 brouhaha with the Broncos, was sent to them on September 16. Also, it feels like Bensinger is opting to blame the Seahawks for not spotting an interaction that, as Macdonald has said, was never meant to be aired.
Besides, why was Bensinger giving the thing to the Seahawks in advance anyway? This isn’t Hard Knocks; it’s an independent interview that does not need to be reviewed or approved by the subject of the interview before publication.
And while the situation has helped remind everyone that Graham Bensinger continues to operate in an increasingly crowded media space, this specific incident could complicate his efforts to attract willing participants from the NFL ecosystem for future sit-down interviews.
