No Jayden Daniels? No problem for the Commanders today, as backup quarterback Marcus Mariota produced an incredible effort against the Seahawks’ stout defense, leading Washington to a 33-31 victory.
Mariota sealed the victory for the Commanders with a nine-yard run on third-and-7 with 1:15 left, and it was just the latest in a series of spectacular plays from Mariota, who played very well against this Seahawks defense that has stopped so many quarterbacks over the last two years.
Mariota, 32, 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 shows how unpredictable the NFL is, especially early in the season when there is still so much we don’t know about each team. The Seahawks opened the season 2-0 and look 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 these games.
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