The washington commanders vs seattle seahawks matchup lands in Week 3 of the 2026 season, and for once these two clubs aren’t just passing through each other’s schedule out of obligation – this is a Sunday, September 27, 2026 date at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. ET, and FOX has the national broadcast, with Joe Davis on play-by-play, Greg Olsen breaking down the tape, and Pam Oliver on the sideline.
The backdrop couldn’t be more lopsided on paper. Seattle arrives as the reigning Super Bowl champion, riding a 12-game winning streak that stretches back through last season, sitting at 2-0 to open this one. Washington, meanwhile, is 0-2 and now has to answer the toughest question a team can face in September – who plays quarterback – after Jayden Daniels re-aggravated his elbow injury in Week 2. This commanders vs seahawks clash isn’t just early-season housekeeping. It’s a measuring-stick game for a Washington team trying to find its floor and a Seattle team trying to prove last year wasn’t a mirage.
So here’s what matters going in: where each team stands right now, how the washington commanders vs seattle seahawks series has played out historically, a look back at the last time these two shared a field, where to watch seattle seahawks vs washington commanders today, and the full washington commanders vs seattle seahawks match player stats picture heading into kickoff.
Washington Commanders: Life Without Jayden Daniels
The Washington Commanders came into 2026 with plenty of optimism after last year’s playoff run, but the first two weeks have gone about as poorly as a fan base could fear. A tight, competitive loss to Philadelphia in Week 1 was one thing – Washington actually hung with the defending champs into the fourth quarter. Week 2 was another story entirely: a 37-20 blowout loss to Dallas that got significantly worse when Jayden Daniels dislocated his elbow on the final play of the first half.
Daniels is now considered week-to-week, and while the team has stopped short of placing him on injured reserve, general manager Adam Peters has confirmed surgery isn’t currently being discussed. That puts the offense squarely in Marcus Mariota’s hands for at least the next few weeks, starting with today’s home opener. Mariota isn’t a stranger to this role – he started eight games a year ago when Daniels was hurt – but the numbers are sobering: Washington has won just three of the ten games Daniels has missed since being drafted second overall in 2024.
Head coach Dan Quinn, now in his second season in D.C., has an odd bit of history working against him today. Quinn once served as Seattle’s defensive coordinator and was among the names Seattle considered when Pete Carroll was let go. The Seahawks passed him over for Mike Macdonald. Washington now hosts the team he almost led.
What Makes Washington’s Offense Tick
- Marcus Mariota’s mobility and veteran poise give the offense a floor even without its starter under center
- Rachaad White and Jacory Croskey-Merritt splitting carries out of the backfield, with White stepping up as the clear early-down option
- Terry McLaurin still the primary target on the outside, even with a new arm throwing him the ball
- New defensive additions in edge rusher Odafe Oweh and linebacker Leo Chenal, brought in to fix a run defense that struggled in 2025
Washington Commanders Snapshot
| Detail | Washington Commanders |
| Division | NFC East |
| Franchise QB | Jayden Daniels (currently sidelined, elbow) |
| Starting QB Today | Marcus Mariota |
| Head coach | Dan Quinn (2nd season) |
| GM | Adam Peters |
| Identity | Explosive dual-threat offense forced into a backup-QB stretch |
| Recent form | 0-2 to open the 2026 season |
| 2026 season start | Loss to Philadelphia (Week 1), 37-20 loss to Dallas (Week 2) |
Anyone tracking the washington commanders schedule this week will notice the timing couldn’t be worse – a home opener against a defending champion, arriving right as the offense loses its most important player. The washington commanders schedule gets no easier from here either: a London trip to face Indianapolis, then the Giants at home, so there isn’t much room to find footing before the calendar gets tougher.
Seattle Seahawks: Defending Champs, Full Speed Ahead
There isn’t much drama surrounding the Seattle Seahawks entering this one – at least not on the surface. Seattle enters as Super Bowl LX champions after a dominant playoff run last season that included a 41-6 divisional blowout of San Francisco, a 31-27 win over the Rams in the NFC Championship, and a 29-13 win over New England in the Super Bowl itself. Mike Macdonald, still just in his third season as head coach, has the Seattle Seahawks playing at a level few expected when he was hired as the league’s youngest head coach back in 2024.
The one wrinkle is at quarterback. Sam Darnold has barely played through two weeks – a glute issue limited him to a single series in the season opener against New England – and backup Drew Lock has stepped in and simply won games, tossing four touchdowns across those two starts to beat both the Patriots and the Cardinals. The Seattle Seahawks blew out Arizona 31-7 in Week 2, and Macdonald has said Darnold is ahead of schedule in his recovery but may need more time, especially with a favorable-looking matchup on tap today.
If there’s one player defining Seattle’s start, it’s receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Fresh off an Offensive Player of the Year season in which he set the franchise record with 1,793 receiving yards, JSN is picking up right where he left off – he leads the NFL with 277 receiving yards and four touchdowns through two games, and he’s just the fifth receiver in league history to open a season with at least eight catches, 120 yards, and a touchdown in each of his team’s first two games.
What Makes Seattle’s Offense Tick
- Whoever’s throwing it – Darnold or Lock – Jaxon Smith-Njigba is going to get his targets and make plays
- Cooper Kupp adding veteran route-running detail in his first season in Seattle
- Rashid Shaheed’s speed stretching defenses vertically, with Tory Horton offering another downfield option
- Rookie running back Jadarian Price carrying the load after Kenneth Walker’s departure
- A defense, nicknamed “The Dark Side” a year ago, that’s still smothering – allowing roughly 125 passing yards per game so far
Seattle Seahawks Snapshot
| Detail | Seattle Seahawks |
| Division | NFC West |
| Franchise QB | Sam Darnold (limited by glute injury) |
| Starting QB Today | Drew Lock (likely) / Darnold possible |
| Head coach | Mike Macdonald (3rd season) |
| GM | John Schneider |
| Owner | Family of Vinod Khosla (first season under new ownership) |
| Identity | Defending Super Bowl champions riding a 12-game win streak |
| Recent form | 2-0 to open 2026, Super Bowl LX champions |
This Week 3 road trip sits right in the middle of the seattle seahawks schedule after a home win over New England and a decisive win over Arizona. Anyone following the seattle seahawks schedule closely knows the visitors are trying to push their win streak to 13 straight dating back to last season, which would be one of the longer runs in recent NFL memory.
NFL Schedule This Week (Week 3, 2026)
Kickoff for today’s washington commanders vs seattle seahawks game goes at 1:00 p.m. ET from Northwest Stadium, and it’s one of the headline games on an otherwise standard slate.
| Team | Next Matchup | Date | Location |
| Seattle Seahawks | at Washington Commanders | Sun, Sept 27 | Away |
| Washington Commanders | vs Indianapolis Colts (in London) | Sun, Oct 4 | Neutral site |
For fans checking either the washington commanders schedule or the seattle seahawks schedule this week, this is the earliest these two clubs have met since 1998 – a scheduling quirk that makes today’s seattle seahawks game today feel rarer than it probably should for two NFC franchises.
Head-to-Head History: The Full Timeline
This washington commanders vs seattle seahawks series dates back decades, and while it isn’t a “rivalry” in the traditional sense – these two clubs sit in different divisions and only cross paths every few years – the history runs deeper than most casual fans realize. Washington holds a 13-8 edge in the all-time series, including a 6-6 mark at home against Seattle.
| Date | Winner | Location | Score | Notes |
| 11/02/2025 | Seahawks | Away | 38-14 | Seattle raced to a 28-0 second-quarter lead |
| Multiple, 2010s-2020s | Split | Various | – | Two meetings in four years, alternating winners |
| 1998 | – | – | – | Last time these two met this early in a season |
A Few Things Worth Pointing Out
- Washington leads the all-time series 13-8, with a 6-6 split specifically at home
- The two sides have now met three times in four seasons, an unusually condensed run for teams in separate conferences
- Seattle’s 38-14 win last November came on Sunday Night Football and was as lopsided as the final score suggests
- Washington hasn’t beaten Seattle at home since 2021, a drought the current roster is well aware of
The Last Time These Two Teams Met: Seahawks 38, Commanders 14 (Nov. 2, 2025)
The most recent chapter of washington vs seattle history wasn’t close. Seattle traveled to Northwest Stadium for a Sunday Night Football matchup and buried Washington early, building a 28-0 lead by the second quarter and never looking back en route to a 38-14 win.
Sam Darnold was nearly unstoppable in the first half, finishing the night with 330 passing yards and throwing all four of his touchdown passes before the break. It was the kind of complementary-football performance that’s become Seattle’s calling card under Macdonald – an offense that scores in bunches paired with a defense that keeps opponents from ever climbing back into the game.
For those tracking washington commanders vs seattle seahawks match player stats from that night, here’s the full breakdown.
Passing Leaders (Nov. 2025 meeting)
- Sam Darnold (SEA): 330 yards, 4 TD
That result is part of why washington vs seahawks carries a bit of unfinished business today, even with a backup quarterback under center. The Commanders know exactly what a fully operational Seattle offense looks like, and they’re hoping this year’s commanders vs seahawks rematch goes differently – even with the deck stacked against them.
Washington Commanders vs Seattle Seahawks Match Player Stats
Anyone comparing washington commanders vs seattle seahawks match player stats through two weeks will notice the gap shows up fastest at quarterback and receiver. Seattle is 2-0 and outscoring opponents comfortably behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s early-season tear, while Washington is still searching for its first win and now has to do it without its starting quarterback.
| Stat | Seattle Seahawks | Washington Commanders |
| Record | 2-0 | 0-2 |
| Win streak | 12 games (dating to 2025) | 0 |
| Leading passer | Drew Lock (filling in for Darnold) | Marcus Mariota (filling in for Daniels) |
| Leading receiver | Jaxon Smith-Njigba (277 yds, 4 TD) | Terry McLaurin |
| Notable injury | Sam Darnold (glute, limited) | Jayden Daniels (elbow, out) |
Seattle’s defense deserves its own mention in any washington commanders vs seattle seahawks match player stats breakdown – it ranked as the league’s top scoring defense a season ago and hasn’t slowed down, currently allowing somewhere in the neighborhood of 125 passing yards per game. That’s a tough draw for a Washington offense adjusting on the fly to a new starter under center. Every set of washington commanders vs seattle seahawks match player stats this season points the same direction: Seattle’s depth is carrying it through injuries that would sink most rosters.
Coaching Matchup: Quinn vs. Macdonald
There’s a strange thread connecting these two sidelines today. Dan Quinn, now leading Washington in his second season, was once a candidate to become Seattle’s head coach back when Pete Carroll was let go – he interviewed for the job, including one in-person meeting, before the Seahawks ultimately went with a then-36-year-old Mike Macdonald instead. Two-plus years later, nobody in Seattle regrets that call. Macdonald has already delivered a Super Bowl title and has his team humming again in year three.
| Factor | Washington (Quinn) | Seattle (Macdonald) |
| Experience level | 2nd season | 3rd season, Super Bowl champion |
| Quarterback situation | Backup (Mariota) starting | Backup (Lock) likely starting |
| Program status | Rebuilding after 0-2 start | Defending champion, 12-game win streak |
| Recent history vs. opponent | Lost most recent meeting 38-14 | Won most recent meeting 38-14 |
It’s a matchup that says more about where each program sits right now than it does about specific schemes – a club that’s arguably the best team in football against one trying to figure out how to survive without its most important offensive weapon.
Betting Angle: What the Odds Say
Given the injury situations on both sides, it’s no surprise Seattle opened as a solid road favorite in this washington vs seattle line. Lines heading into kickoff had the Seahawks around -7 on the spread (-108 at DraftKings), with Washington getting +7 (-112), and a total set at 40.5 points. On the moneyline, Seattle sits at roughly -305 with Washington priced near +245. Prediction markets have shown a slightly tighter number, with Seattle trading closer to 54-55% implied probability to win outright – still comfortably the favorite, but not viewed as an overwhelming mismatch by everyone tracking the market.
Anyone lining up the washington commanders vs seattle seahawks match player stats against the spread will see why oddsmakers leaned the way they did. That gap makes sense given the quarterback situations on both sides. Seattle’s backup has been productive enough to keep winning; Washington’s is walking into a tougher defensive matchup than the one he saw a week ago. Most of the public money in this commanders vs seahawks line appears to be siding with the champs to keep their streak alive, though a few analysts have pointed to Washington’s odds as more competitive than the double-digit spread suggests.
Where to Watch Seattle Seahawks vs Washington Commanders Today
Here’s where to watch seattle seahawks vs washington commanders today, in full:
- National broadcast: FOX at 1:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. PT, with Joe Davis, Greg Olsen, and Pam Oliver on the call
- Streaming: NFL+ carries the game for out-of-market viewers
- Location: Northwest Stadium, Landover, Maryland
- Seattle’s radio coverage: Seattle Sports 710AM, KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM, and SiriusXM channel 167
- Washington’s local coverage: BIG 100.3 FM handles Commanders radio broadcasts
If you’re still hunting for where to watch seattle seahawks vs washington commanders after kickoff, NFL+ replays and FOX Sports’ app both carry the broadcast on demand once the final whistle blows. Given how infrequently these two teams cross paths, today’s seattle seahawks game today is one of the rarer national windows either fan base will get to see the other side up close this season.
What’s Next for Both Teams
Before looking ahead, one more note on today’s seattle seahawks game today headline: a win keeps Seattle’s streak alive at 13 straight, while a loss would snap the longest active run in the league. Either way, this washington vs seahawks result will shape both teams’ outlook heading into October.
Seattle’s goals are simple: keep the win streak alive and get Sam Darnold back to full strength before the schedule gets tougher later in the year. A win today would push that streak to 13 games and keep the Seattle Seahawks unbeaten through the first quarter of the season.
For fans still refreshing washington vs seahawks player stats after the final whistle, the box score should tell the story of an offense finding its feet under a new starter. Washington’s task is more urgent. With Daniels sidelined indefinitely, the Washington Commanders need Marcus Mariota to stabilize an offense that’s scored just once at home this season, all while a retooled defense featuring Odafe Oweh and Leo Chenal tries to slow down one of the league’s most explosive passing attacks. After today, Washington heads to London to face Indianapolis, followed by a home date with the Giants – a stretch that could define whether this season salvages itself or slips away early.
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Quick FAQs
Washington, 13-8 all-time, including a 6-6 split at home against Seattle.
November 2, 2025 – Seattle won 38-14 on Sunday Night Football.
FOX, 1:00 p.m. ET, from Northwest Stadium, streaming on NFL+.
The family of Vinod Khosla, who took over ownership ahead of 2026.
Different conferences; the NFL’s rotation pairs them roughly every four years.
A 12-game-streak champion against a Washington team starting its backup QB.
Smith-Njigba – he leads the NFL in receiving yards and touchdowns.
