The Washington Commanders hit the road again in Week 10 as they face the Seattle Seahawks. At 5-3, Seattle is tied with the San Francisco 49ers atop the NFC West. Meanwhile, the Commanders, at 4-5, sit one game out of the NFC’s No. 7 and final wild-card berth.
The Commanders head into Sunday’s game coming off a 20-17 win over the New England Patriots. Washington dominated the game, but two turnovers kept the Patriots close. The Seahawks are looking to get back on track after an ugly 37-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
The Seahawks are one of the NFL’s more talented teams. Quarterback Geno Smith has struggled at times this season after his breakout season in 2023.
To preview all things Seahawks, we chatted with Tim Weaver, managing editor of Seahawks Wire, to discuss the 2023 squad.
Has Geno Smith taken a step back this year?
Tim Weaver: He’s actually about the same as last year overall. If you want to say he’s taken a step back over the last four games, that’s much more accurate. After throwing just one interception in his first four games, he’s thrown six in the last four games, plus two fumbles. Turnovers were an issue for Smith in the second half of last season as well, but his production is still roughly at a top-10 level, albeit a bit lower this year to go with league-wide offensive turndown. Relatively, he’s still a well-above-average QB, and his contract makes him worth the production the Seahawks get, even with the turnovers.
The Seahawks have all the pieces to be a dominant offense. What’s holding them back?
TW: Poor situational football is the short answer. To be more specific, Seattle is terrible on third down and inconsistent in the red zone. I’m in the minority on this, but I blame offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s playcalling on third down. There just aren’t enough easy answers for Smith in obvious passing situations, and the putrid screen game just isn’t effective. Pass protection regularly breaking down in those situations hasn’t helped either.
What’s the plan for running back? The Seahawks have two good, young backs. Is it a committee?
TW: Pete Carroll doesn’t seem to believe in running backs by committee, even when he has enough talent in the backfield to pull it off. Ken Walker has gotten 126 carries so far compared to just 32 for Zach Charbonnet. As promising as Charbonnet looks, Walker is further along in his development, and unless he gets injured, he will continue to get the bulk of the carries and the targets at this position.
How strong are the offensive and defensive lines?
TW: It’s difficult to answer that, and that’s a big reason why they’re 5-3 instead of 6-2 or even 7-1 right now. They were always going to get creamed by the Ravens, but inconsistency in the trenches has been an issue. The offensive line is really missing right tackle Abe Lucas, and defenses have been hammering that side hard, forcing Geno Smith to play under pressure pretty much every other snap. Collectively, they’re pretty solid in run blocking, but that doesn’t help much when you can’t convert a third down. Defensively, it really depends on who you’re talking about.
Individually, guys like Boye Mafe and Jarran Reed are playing fantastic. However, overall, there are some notes missing in the chorus. Dre’Mont Jones hasn’t played up to the level we were hoping, and with Uchenna Nwosu out, they need someone else on the edge to step up other than Mafe. Adding Leonard Williams via trade should help the whole group out, so this is a to-be-continued kind of answer.
How do you feel about Seattle’s defense?
TW: It’s a really mixed bag, to be honest. Bobby Wagner returning to run things has made a huge difference in the overall competency of the group, and that’s been the biggest factor in turning around the run defense (not counting last week). Without Wagner, things would probably look a lot more shaky, but overall, there’s a lot to like here. Jordyn Brooks and Jarran Reed are both having career years. Boye Mafe looks like he’s going to be an All-Pro, and the same goes for Devon Witherspoon. However, guys like Riq Woolen and Quandre Diggs have been a bit off this year. If they ever get everybody operating at full speed, it’s going to be a really great unit.
Prediction and why
TW: Blowouts like the one the Seahawks suffered last week against the Ravens can cripple a young team emotionally. However, with vets like Bobby Wagner and Jason Peters around, I don’t see that happening. They should be as motivated as they’ve been all year and bounce back for a win. If they don’t, then they’re not the team I thought they were early in the year. For now, I’ll assume that they are, and they’ll come through.
Seahawks 31, Commanders 20.
