By Khalid Bennett, The Seattle Medium
Coming off a lopsided road loss at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, the Seahawks returned home looking to stay neck and neck with the San Francisco 49ers for the division lead.
The Washington Commanders came into the game with a 4-5 record, but many seemed to think that they had given up on the season after trading away their top two defenders at the trade deadline. Even after the moves made at the deadline, Washington was still able to pick up a 20-17 victory over New England last week.
The defense has been the strength for both teams lately, with Seattle having one of the top rushing defenses in the league.
Washington would find the end zone first on a big pass play for 51 yards from Sam Howell to running back Brian Robinson. The extra point was missed, which made it possible for Seattle to keep up with just field goals. Jason Meyers made all three of his attempts in the first half. The score was 9-9 going into halftime.
The game turned around for both teams in the second half, particularly on offense.
After going down 3 points in the third quarter following a Washington field goal, Seattle running back Ken Walker III made a huge play breaking loose for a 64-yard touchdown catch and run to put the Seahawks up 16-12.
In the fourth quarter, both teams traded punches offensively. A 19-yard touchdown pass from Howell to wide running back Antonio Gibson tied the game at 16. Seattle answered back when Geno Smith found Tyler Lockett for a touchdown pass and put the Seahawks up again 26-19.
Not going away easily, Washington was able to mount a scoring drive that tied the game up 26-26 on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Howell to wide receiver Dyami Brown with 52 seconds remaining in the game.
On the final drive, Geno Smith hooked up with DK Metcalf on a 17-yard slant that put the Seahawks in field goal range.
“[DK] is such a special player, and anytime you can get the ball in his hands, especially when the game is on the line, he’s always ready to show up and show you who he is,” said Geno Smith following the game about his wide receiver DK Metcalf.
Jason Meyers was able to seal it with a game-winning 43-yard kick with no time remaining.
Seattle walked away with the 29-26 win. Geno Smith finished the game with 369 yards and 2 touchdowns.
“It’s always great to get a win,” Smith reiterated.
Linebacker Boye Mafe broke a franchise record for consecutive games with a sack with 7.
“To me, it’s just another accomplishment… it’s bigger than me. It’s a testament to what we’ve done in the offseason… to be better than we were last year,” said Mafe on how well he and the defense have played.
Seattle will go on the road next week and try to exact revenge on the Los Angeles Rams who defeated the Seahawks in week one.