Where Seahawks can feast on Commanders’ defense

Starting quarterback Sam Darnold is set to return from injury for the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday when they take on the Washington Commanders.

Darnold to return, but Seahawks rule out 2 starters vs Commanders

He’s in line for a soft landing and a matchup he can take advantage of.

During a preview of the Seahawks-Commanders matchup on Thursday’s edition of Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, Commanders play-by-play voice Bram Weinstein highlighted Washington’s secondary as a struggling group.

“The secondary has been a wreck through the first couple of games,” he said. “It is literally the reason why they lost game one. If you just go look at the – you don’t even need to watch it – go look at the stats from (the) Philadelphia (game) and you’re not going to understand how they lost. They held Philadelphia to 10 first downs, they dominated time of possession, they did not turn the ball over – and they lost. It’s because of, like, five moments that were own goals and specifically by the secondary.”

At first glance, the Commanders didn’t allow all that much through the air in Week 1 against Philadelphia. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 14 of 25 passes for 203 yards, though he did have three TDs to no interceptions.

But Washington was burned by big plays allowed by the secondary in that game. Philadelphia connected on passes of 64, 31 and 43 yards throughout the contest, all of which came on scoring drives. The 43-yarder went for a TD on a third down, and the Commanders also allowed a 17-yard TD pass on third-and-goal early in the second quarter.

It was much of the same in Week 2 for Washington when it faced Dallas. The Commanders allowed Dak Prescott to complete 26-of-31 passes for 279 yards, which included four passes for more than 20 yards, and four TDs.

It’s added up to a rough first couple of weeks for the Commanders’ secondary. They’ve allowed a league-worst seven TD passes while being one of just eight teams with no interceptions. And while their 224 yards allowed per game is middle of the pack, their 71.4% completion rate allowed is sixth-worst. Pro Football Focus has also given Washington the second-lowest coverage grade in the league (39.5) through two weeks.

Darnold looking for repeat performance

Darnold had one of his best games when Seattle faced Washington in primetime during Week 9 of last season.

He completed all 16 of his passes in the first half for 282 yards and four TDs en route to a 38-14 blowout. He finished the game with 330 yards, four TDs and one interception on 21-of-24 passing. The big plays that have hurt the Commanders this year also showed up in that game, as Darnold completed six passes of 20 yards or more, including a 60-yard TD.

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Listen to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app. 

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