SEATTLE – Sam Darnold delivered a dominant performance Sunday night, throwing for four touchdowns as the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Washington Commanders 38-14 at Lumen Field. The victory improves Seattle’s record to 6-2, while the Commanders fall to 3-6 and face an uncertain future after losing quarterback Jayden Daniels to a notable arm injury.
Darnold connected with a rookie receiver for a 4-yard touchdown late in the first quarter and followed it up with a 25-yard touchdown pass midway through the second. Seattle’s special teams then forced a fumble on a kickoff, setting up Darnold for an 11-second scoring drive, capped by a 26-yard touchdown to tight end Elijah arroyo.He later found receiver Cody White for a 60-yard score,extending Seattle’s lead to 28-0. Darnold finished the night with 17 consecutive completions, tying Warren Moon’s franchise record.
The Commanders struggled to respond, managing only a 41-yard field goal by Jason Myers at the end of the second quarter and a 1-yard touchdown run by AJ Barner in the third quarter on a tush-push play. However, the game’s most significant advancement came late in the fourth quarter when Daniels suffered an arm injury while being sacked inside the 5-yard line. His left arm was instantly placed in an air cast, and he was escorted to the locker room for an X-ray.
Daniels, who had previously missed three starts this season due to injury, completed 16 of 22 passes for 153 yards with one interception, and rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Seattle’s defense consistently pressured Daniels, sacking him four times throughout the game.
Despite not reaching the end zone, Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a standout performance, recording eight catches for 129 yards. Smith-Njigba now has six 100-yard receiving games this season, tying Steve Largent’s franchise record. He also became the fifth player in the Super Bowl era with at least 75 receiving yards in each of his first eight games of a season, and joined Isaac Bruce as the only players age 23 or younger with at least 900 receiving yards in their first eight games.
The Seahawks will next host the Arizona Cardinals next Sunday afternoon. The Commanders will return home to face the Detroit Lions, but will do so without their starting quarterback.
