SEATTLE – As the Seahawks returned from their bye this week, they gave off a vibe of being confident but not complacent.
At 5-2 and tied with the Los Angeles Rams atop the NFC West, the Seahawks have every reason to think big.
But to a man, they said they understand they haven’t done anything yet.
“I feel like we’ve got a lot of work to do,’’ said receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, currently on pace to finish with more receiving yards than anyone in NFL history. “Like Coop (receiver Cooper Kupp) said a couple days ago, you can’t go to the playoffs with five wins. That’s something that we all feel in this building and something we just want to build and grow. We want to attack it week-by-week, be 1-0, and when we look up get ready for the playoffs.’’
Their chance to go 1-0 this week comes Sunday night on the road against the Washington Commanders.
It’s the kind of game Seattle needs to win if it really views itself as a Super Bowl contender – and no less than former Seahawk Richard Sherman said last week on Amazon Prime that Seattle is indeed a team that can win it all.
Washington, which advanced to the NFC title game last year in the first season under former Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, has stumbled to a 3-5 start, wracked by an uncommon amount of key injuries to the likes of quarterback Jayden Daniels and receiver Terry McLaurin. They’ve also had a surprisingly leaky defense that is 27th overall (372.8 yards per game), 22nd against the run (128.8), 26th against the pass (244.0) and 21st in points allowed (24.8 per game).
And with Daniels and McLaurin in and out of the lineup, Washington is just 16th in total offense (334.4 yards per game) and 17th in points (23.4).
Daniels is expected to start against Seattle while McLaurin is out.
Seattle counters with an offense that is tied for fifth in scoring at 27.6 points per game and a defense seventh in points allowed at 19.7.
“We feel good,’’ Smith-Njigba said. “We feel confident, we know who we are. We don’t have to change our identity. We can just keep stacking.”
Let’s take a closer look at the matchup:
Key injuries: Safety Julian Love will miss his fourth straight game with a troublesome hamstring that has bothered him since the second game of the season. He was placed on injured reserve Saturday and will likely again be replaced by Ty Okada in the base defense.
Also out are receivers Dareke Young (hip) and Jake Bobo (Achilles) and tight end Eric Saubert (calf) while WR Kupp (heel, hamstring) and DL Jarran Reed (wrist) are questionable.
The Seahawks on Saturday elevated receivers Cody White and Ricky White III off the practice squad to fill in for Young and Bobo.
For Washington, Daniels is expected to play after sitting out Monday night against the Chiefs with a hamstring injury but McLaurin (quadriceps) is out as is tight end Colson Yankoff (hamstring). Washington also listed starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil (hamstring) as questionable.
Last week’s games: The Seahawks had their bye week after beating Houston 27-19 on Oct. 20 to improve to 5-2. Washington fell to 3-5 with a 28-7 loss at Kansas City Monday night.
The big story: Can the Seahawks begin their post-bye run to the playoffs on a winning note?
Seattle has won five of its last six since the season-opening home loss to the 49ers and if the season ended today would be the fourth seed in the NFC playoffs.
But they may need a win against Washington to stay there as the Rams are 14-point favorites at home against the beleaguered Saints while the 5-3 49ers have a winnable game against the Giants in New York.
This game also is the first of three of four and four of six on the road, a stretch that won’t be easy despite Seattle’s recent run of success away from home.
Key matchup: Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba against Washington secondary.
Smith-Njigba is off to one of the best starts for a receiver in NFL history, averaging 117 yards per game and is on pace to break Calvin Johnson’s all-time single-season receiving yards mark of 1,964 set in 2012.
And now, fresh off three straight 100-yard games – tying DK Metcalf’s team record – he faces a struggling Washington pass defense.
The Commanders are 30th in net yards allowed per pass attempt – 7.2 – and have given up six touchdown passes the last two weeks alone against Dallas and Dak Prescott and the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes.
Pro Football Focus further noted this week that Smith-Njigba has 10 deep receptions – defined as a pass that goes 20 yards in the air beyond the line of scrimmage – more than any other receiver while Washington has allowed 59 explosive pass plays (gains of 15 yards or more), the most of any team in the league.
This could be another big night for JSN.
Key player: Cornerback Devon Witherspoon.
The fifth overall pick in 2023, Witherspoon has played just two games this season due to a knee contusion suffered in the fourth quarter of the opener against the 49ers.
But Witherspoon practiced all week and on Friday coach Mike Macdonald said Witherspoon will play against Washington. Witherspoon has played a dual role of outside corner in the base defense and then moving inside in the nickel.
The Seahawks could alter that role some to ease him back in to what will be his first game since Sept. 25 at Arizona. Simply getting Witherspoon back, though, is another step toward making Seattle’s secondary whole.
Key stat: 9. That’s the number of consecutive road wins for the Seahawks, a franchise record. Seattle hasn’t lost a road game since last Sept. 30 at Detroit, 42-29.
The Seahawks have since won two road games at Arizona as well as beating Arizona, San Francisco, the New York Jets, the Chicago Bears, the Los Angeles Rams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Macdonald has won 10 of 11 road games since becoming Seattle’s head coach and this week can become just the third coach in NFL history to win 11 of his first 12 on the road.
Two other key questions
How will the Seahawks’ handle Washington’s no-huddle offense? The Commanders go with a no-huddle offense more than any team in the NFL – 300 of 466 snaps through eight games, according to Pro Football Reference.
They also now get Daniels back running it. All teams use no-huddle so it’s not something new for Seattle to defend. But the sheer volume of it will pose a challenge.
Can Seahawks get running game going? If this feels like a broken record of a question it’s because the running game looms as Seattle’s biggest question mark – and biggest possible impediment to winning the NFC West.
The Seahawks are averaging just 3.7 yards per rushing attempt, 31st in the NFL. The good news? Washington is allowing 4.4 yards per attempt, 19th in the NFL, and has had particular issues defending perimeter runs, an area where Seattle has had its most success.
More potential good news for Seattle? Robbie Ouzts will return at fullback after missing the last four games, allowing Seattle to use more two-back sets, something the team emphasized in the offseason.
Ouzts played 60 snaps in three games. Brady Russell, his backup, had played 32 in the last four games since Ouzts was injured.
Prediction: Seahawks 23, Commanders 16.
Washington’s desperation and the long trip for the Seahawks are certainly reasons for concern for Seattle. But the Seahawks are as rested and healthy as they’ve been in a while and, by some statistical measures, simply the better team.