Seahawks Rout Commanders as Darnold Shines

After a 38-14 Sunday Night Football win over Washington, the 6-2 Seattle Seahawks bolstered their case as legitimate NFC contenders. Sam Darnold completed 21-of-24 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns, including a perfect 16-for-16 first half, fueling the blowout. Seattle’s offense was ultra-efficient (about a 60% success rate, 7-for-11 on third down), and the result was cast as validation of bold offseason roster moves that sent away Geno Smith and DK Metcalf and installed Darnold as the starter. Seattle played without Cooper Kupp (inactive) and elevated practice‑squad receivers Coby White and Ricky White III, with rookies Tory Horton and Jaxon Smith‑Njigba seeing increased roles. Washington was hampered by injuries — Luke McCaffrey suffered a shoulder injury on the opening kickoff, top receiver Terry McLaurin was inactive, and Jayden Daniels exited late with an apparent arm injury — contributing to a demoralized home crowd.