Back in June and early July, HH veteran writer Bill-in-Bangkok, offered a week-by-week preview via the 5 O’Clock Club of the Washington Commanders regular season schedule for 2026. As we roll into the actual games during the regular season, Hogs Haven will revisit each of these previews with John Portis adding additional thoughts and updates as we go inside the matchup to get you ready for every opponent the Commanders face in 2026.
From John Portis:
Bill-in-Bangkok was certainly right back in June, when he originally evaluated this Commanders-Seahawks matchup. A lot has changed since the initial preview. His write-up hits close to home, as Washington enters Week 3 with quarterback Jayden Daniels sidelined by yet another elbow dislocation and Marcus Mariota once again behind center.
The Seahawks are expected to start their own backup quarterback, Drew Lock, though it should be noted that Sam Darnold practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday. It’s at least possible that Darnold could be available.
Lock has performed well in Darnold’s absence, completing 35-of-48 passes for 422 passing yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions in two games. Three of those touchdowns went to receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba last week versus the Cardinals, and the prospect of facing him with a Commanders’ secondary that will be already be missing Nick Cross should keep coordinator Daronte Jones up at night. If the Commanders’ defense can somehow contain JSN, they will be left with Cooper Kupp and Rashid Shaheed in the passing game.
Rookie running back Jadarian Price is recovering from a shoulder injury and may miss the game — time will tell on that front — but free agent-signing Emanuel Wilson, who spent 3 seasons with the Packers, has been a solid addition to the Seahawks backfield and will work alongside last year’s undrafted free agent signing George Holani, who is dealing with a knee issue.
Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, who utilizes an outside zone rushing scheme, has leaned on the run with Darnold out, running the ball over half the time with 55.4% running plays to 44.6% passing.
Washington has been surprisingly good in run defense, stuffing 29% for no gain, which ranks 3rd overall, with defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw ranking 3rd in the NFL in individual rankings of run stop rate.
The real strength of the Seahawks is head coach Mike Macdonald’s defense. They have continued their outstanding play from 2025 as outlined by Bill in his preview, and the Seahawks are the first team since 2006 not to allow a play of 20-plus yards through two weeks. Second-round safety Bud Clark broke his ankle in preseason, and Coby Bryant left in free agency. First-round safety Nick Emmanwori returned on a limited basis last week, playing eight defensive snaps, and was a full participant on Wednesday. He seems in line to play on Sunday, but we will see.
Meanwhile, free safety Julian Love has been making a case to be considered an elite player.
Washington offensive coordinator David Blough will have his hands full, and so will Washington’s embattled interior offensive line, which is likely to be without starting right guard Sam Cosmi, who is in the concussion protocol. Defensive tackle Leonard Williams continues to play at a high level, along with the rest of the defensive line.
The perspective hope for a Commanders win lies in quarterback Marcus Mariota’s ability to read defenses and get the ball out quickly to short and intermediate parts of the field. The other is Drew Lock’s past history of inconsistent play. He’s a gunslinger prototype at the quarterback position, and has a career completion rate of 60.2% with over 28 career interceptions in 29 starts. Through two games, the Commanders’ defense has forced zero turnovers, which is a statistic that will need to change if Washington wants a chance to win their first game at Northwest Stadium this season.
Betting Lines
Oddsmakers have established the visitors as the favorites for this matchup.
- Point Spread: Seattle -7
- Game Total (Over/Under): 40.5 points
Bill-in-Bangkok’s original preview published June 28:
Week 3 Preview: Seattle Seahawks at Washington Commanders
Date: September 28, 2026, 1 p.m. ET
Location: Northwest Stadium in Landover Maryland
After road games in Weeks 1 & 2 against a pair of hated division rivals, the Commanders will return home in Week 3 to face the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks in Week 3. No easy games to open the 2026 season! A lot could change by the time these two teams meet, but it’s no surprise that the early betting lines favor the Seahawks on the road against the Commanders.
The All-Time Series Numbers
While these two teams wouldn’t seem to be natural rivals, they have played one another 24 times since Seattle joined the league as an expansion team in the mid-1970s. Washington leads the overall series 13-11-0, and the burgundy & gold has won 8 of 15 games played in this millennium.
The Seahawks have prevailed in the postseason, however. The two teams met in the playoffs three times between the 2005 and 2012 seasons, with Seattle sweeping the Redskins by winning all 3 games — none by less than 10 points.
Interestingly, Washington has been more successful as the road team in recent years, losing 4 out of the last 5 games played in Landover while winning 3 of the last 5 games played in Seattle.
Commanders quarterback play and health has been an issue at times
I’m sure everyone will remember the gruesome-looking play in which Jayden Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow in the fourth quarter of the Week 9 game against the Seattle Seahawks at Northwest Stadium.
A similarly gruesome-looking knee injury ended the rookie season of Robert Griffin III against the Seahawks in the playoff game at Landover in January 2013.
In the three Seattle-Washington games played between those two injuries, Washington’s offense was led by Dwayne Haskins (2020), Taylor Heinicke (2021) and Sam Howell (2023), which may help explain the .250 win percentage under Ron Rivera and Dan Quinn.
Hopefully, Jayden Daniels can put an end to this streak of quarterback infamy and injury with a complete and winning effort in Week 3.
Seahawks quarterback stability
Seattle’s starting quarterback is Sam Darnold. Not so long ago, that would have been a reason for many NFL fans to scoff, but Darnold has just finished back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons with the Vikings and Seahawks, and he has a shiny new championship ring.
Like last year, Darnold is backed up by Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe.
Seahawks 2026 Coaching Changes
*New to staff this season:
- Offensive Coordinator – Brian Fleury
- Offensive Line – John Benton
- Running Backs – Thomas Hammock
- Inside Linebackers – Zach Orr
- Quarterbacks – Tyson Prince
The Seahawks coaching staff changes could be significant. Sam Darnold will have both a new offensive coordinator and a new quarterback coach. Fleury comes from 7 seasons with the 49ers; Prince is a 4th year coach who has moved up quickly in Seattle after one year in the college ranks.
Add in John Benton’s promotion to senior offensive assistant & offensive line coach, and we could see a very different Seahawks offense in 2026. Fleury’s offensive scheme will be a highly structured, modern variant of the Shanahan-style West Coast offense, built on wide-zone running, heavy pre-snap motion, and calculated deep shots — which may sound familiar to fans who have been reading up on Commanders’ new offensive coordinator David Blough. Upon taking the job, Fleury declared that his unit would be “fast, violent, and aggressive in every way we possibly can” to pressure opponents both structurally and through variable tempo.
Their first-round pick in the backfield, Jadarian Price from Notre Dame, will have a new running backs coach in Thomas Hammock.
One of the most underrated moves of the entire NFL offseason is also on this list, though, with the Seahawks adding former Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr as inside linebackers coach. The wealth of defensive knowledge between head coach Mike Macdonald and Orr should pay off handsomely for the Seahawks; a scary thought given that the Seahawks had the #1 defense in points-allowed in 2026.
Key statistical 2025 rankings
Offensive Rankings
Under coordinator Klint Kubiak, the offense was a top-tier scoring unit that prioritized high yards-per-play efficiency:
- Scoring Offense: 3rd overall (28.4 points per game)
- Total Offense: 7th overall (351.4 total yards per game)
- Offensive DVOA: 9th overall (9.2%)
- Passing DVOA: 5th overall (32.2%)
- Rushing DVOA: 13th overall (-2.2%)
- Yards Per Play: 2nd overall (5.6 yards per play)
Defensive Rankings
Head coach Mike Macdonald’s defense was statistically the best in the NFL, finishing as a top-10 historic defense in modern analytics:
- Scoring Defense: 1st overall (17.2 points allowed per game)
- Total Defense: 1st overall (285.8 yards allowed per game)
- Overall Defensive DVOA: 1st overall (-24.0% — ranked 8th all-time in NFL history)
- Passing Defense DVOA: 1st overall (-19.2%)
- Rushing Defense DVOA: 1st overall (-30.7%)
- Opponent Yards Per Play: 1st overall (4.4 yards allowed per play)
Roster Moves: Free Agency and the Draft
Key Free Agent Signings/Departures
* SIGNED IN FREE AGENCY
- LB Dante Fowler Jr.
- LB Chazz Surratt (Re-signed)
- CB Noah Igbinoghene
- RB Emanual Wilson
- WR Jake Bobo (Re-signed)
- OL Josh Jones (Re-signed)
- CB Josh Jobe (Re-signed)
- WR Rashid Shaheed (Re-signed)
* DEPARTED IN FREE AGENCY
- RB Kenneth Walker III
- LB Boye Mafe
- S Coby Bryant
- CB Riq Woolen
The Seahawks put a heavy emphasis on re-signing their own free agents this offseason, which gives them a short list of departures; nonetheless, they are all significant. Coby Bryant played 100% of the team’s defensive snaps in the Super Bowl, while Riq Woolen and Boye Mafe were contributors as well. Of course, Kenneth Walker was the Super Bowl MVP.
Seattle did add former Commanders pass rusher in Dante Fowler Jr. to pair with DeMarcus Lawrence, and they used the draft to help maintain depth in the secondary that was key to their defensive success last year. Another element of that depth comes in the form of the free agent signing of former Washington CB Noah Igbinoghene, who may struggle to make the 53-man roster in Seattle.
As discussed above, their offensive core of Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, and Cooper Kupp will have a new rookie running back and new play-caller in Brian Fleury, replacing Klint Kubiak who parlayed winning a Super Bowl with this group into the head coaching job with the Raiders.
The 2026 NFL Draft
Round 1, No. 32: Jadarian Price (RB, Notre Dame)
Explosive runner and high-end kickoff returner; co-RB1 replacement for departed Kenneth Walker III. Should fit perfectly into Seattle’s outside-zone rushing scheme.
Round 2, No. 64: Bud Clark (S, TCU)
Experienced, highly competitive, versatile defensive ball hawk who will compete immediately at safety. Plays with a physical edge reminiscent of Devon Witherspoon.
Round 3, No. 99: Julian Neal (CB, Arkansas)
Tall, physical corner (nearly 6’2″) who loves to hit and press receivers. He is a good candidate to step in as Seattle’s 3rd CB.
Round 5, No. 148: Beau Stephens (OG, Iowa)
Versatile 1st-team All-American; expected to push incumbent Anthony Bradford for the starting RG spot.
Round 6, No. 199: Emmanuel Henderson Jr. (WR, Kansas)
Speedy WR; valuable kickoff coverage and return experience. Depth and special teams.
Round 7, No. 236: Andre Fuller (CB, Toledo)
A safety-to-corner convert with good size and 4.49 speed. Depth and battle for one of the remaining CB spots.
Round 7, No. 242: Deven Eastern (DT, Minnesota)
Experienced, durable interior lineman; started 39 college games. Will help restock and add youth to the Seahawks aging defensive line pipeline.
Round 7, No. 255: Michael Dansby (CB, Arizona)
Smaller, faster man-coverage CB; strong candidate for practice squad.
