WASHINGTON (4-5) at SEATTLE (5-3)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, FOX
BETTING LINE: Seahawks by 6, according to FanDuel Sportsbook
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Washington 4-4-1; Seattle 4-4
SERIES RECORD: Commanders lead 13-9
LAST MEETING: Commanders beat Seahawks 17-15, Nov. 29, 2021 in Landover, Maryland.
LAST WEEK: Commanders beat Patriots 20-17, Seahawks lost to Ravens 37-3.
COMMANDERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (17), RUSH (26), PASS (9), SCORING (18)
COMMANDERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (28), RUSH (20), PASS (27), SCORING (30)
SEAHAWKS OFFENSE: OVERALL (20), RUSH (23), PASS (19), SCORING (17)
SEAHAWKS DEFENSE: OVERALL (25), RUSH (21), PASS (20), SCORING (22)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Commanders minus-1; Seahawks plus-2
COMMANDERS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Terry McLaurin is getting plenty of targets. He’s not getting many touchdowns, though. McLaurin has just one touchdown catch since Week 2 despite being the favorite target of QB Sam Howell. He’ll have a challenge this week going up against Seattle’s talented secondary and the cornerback trio of Riq Woolen, Tre Brown and rookie Devon Witherspoon.
SEAHAWKS PLAYER TO WATCH: Edge rusher Boye Mafe. In his second season, Mafe has become Seattle’s most consistent pass rusher. He’s matched a franchise record with sacks in six straight games coming into this week’s matchup and is the only player to do it in the same season. With the loss of Uchenna Nwosu for the season to a pectoral injury, having Mafe’s consistency in the pass rush is important for Seattle’s defense.
KEY MATCHUP: The Seahawks thought they were seeing improvement in their run defense, only to watch the Ravens rush for 298 yards last week. It eschewed all the statistics that showed Seattle was improving at stopping the run and brought into question just how good the Seahawks are in that aspect of their defense. The Commanders rank only 26th in the league in rushing, but slowing down Brian Robinson Jr. must be a priority for Seattle.
KEY INJURIES: Commanders WR Curtis Samuel is dealing with a toe injury. … The Seahawks have a number of starters dealing with small injuries, but the biggest concern could be backup running back and special teams standout DeeJay Dallas following a shoulder injury last week.
SERIES NOTES: Washington has won four in a row at Seattle and seven of eight all time in the regular season, although the Seahawks have won both playoff games played in Seattle. The teams split the past two games played in Washington with the Seahawks winning in 2020 and the Commanders in 2021.
STATS AND STUFF: The Commanders gained 400-plus yards in consecutive games for the first time since 2020. … QB Sam Howell became the first player in franchise history to throw for 2,500 yards in 10 or fewer games, the 12th in NFL history to do so and the first since Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert in 2020. … Howell completed 29 of 45 passes for 345 yards, a touchdown and an interception at New England. … His 2,471 yards passing rank second in the league. … WR Terry McLaurin has five-plus catches and 60-plus yards receiving in four games in a row. … Washington’s 48 pass breakups are the fourth most in the league and the team’s most since 2012. … S Kam Curl has played 350 coverage snaps this season without allowing a TD. … DB Quan Martin had his first career INT to seal the win against the Patriots. … The Seahawks are 2-0 this season when following a loss. … QB Geno Smith has thrown six interceptions in the past four games. Smith threw 11 interceptions all of last season. … RBs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet have combined for only 26 carries the past two games. … WR DK Metcalf had just one reception for 50 yards last week. It was the third time in the past two seasons Metcalf had just one reception. … Seattle was 1 of 12 on third downs against Baltimore and ranks 30th in the league in that category. … DL Leonard Williams will try and get a sack against Washington for the second time this season. Had one sack in Week 7 vs. the Commanders while still with the Giants. … LB Jordyn Brooks is the only player in the league with more than 75 tackles and four or more sacks this season.
FANTASY TIP: The Seahawks have been frustrated by the inability to stay on the field offensively and get the run game going the past two weeks. Considering the Commanders’ issues defensively, it could be a big day for Walker and Charbonnet.
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