Kain Medrano’s interception return lifts Commanders past Seahawks 33-31 despite Sam Darnold’s 379 yards

Washington kept answering before the fourth-quarter turn

The Commanders established the first lead on Marcus Mariota’s six-yard touchdown pass to Rachaad White with 9:08 left in the opening quarter, and they spent the rest of the afternoon refusing to give the game away. Seattle drew level early in the second when Sam Darnold found Jaxon Smith-Njigba from a yard out, but Washington restored control on Mariota’s 11-yard scoring throw to Treylon Burks at 6:47 of the quarter.

That exchange framed the game. Seattle’s offence moved the ball more often and more explosively, yet Washington kept converting its better moments into points. Jason Myers drilled a 57-yard field goal with 52 seconds left in the half to cut the margin to four, and Drew Stevens answered with a 57-yarder of his own as time expired for a 17-10 Commanders lead.

Washington stretched that advantage in the third quarter. Mariota hit Terry McLaurin for a 30-yard touchdown at 10:43, giving the Commanders a 24-10 cushion. Seattle would not stay quiet for long, but Washington’s passing game had already done enough to show what kind of afternoon this would be: not especially prolific, but efficient where it counted. Mariota finished 19 of 31 for 183 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, while McLaurin led the receiving group with six catches for 77 yards and a score.

Seattle’s passing game was sharp, but the balance never arrived

Seattle’s comeback threat was real because Darnold played well for long stretches. He completed 31 of 45 passes for 379 yards and four touchdowns, spreading the ball across a productive receiving corps. Smith-Njigba led the way with 10 catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns. AJ Barner added 69 yards on five receptions, George Holani caught five balls for 48 yards, and Cooper Kupp scored late to bring Seattle within two points.

The Seahawks did plenty right through the air, and their 28 first downs and 437 total yards underline that. What they could not do was turn the game into a complete offensive performance. Seattle managed only 44 rushing yards on 18 attempts, leaving the offence heavily dependent on Darnold’s arm. Even with four touchdown passes and a 4-for-5 mark in the red zone, the Seahawks still handed Washington too many extra opportunities.

That is the tension in the final score. Seattle produced the bigger day on offence, but the Commanders never needed to match yardage. They needed clean possessions and a handful of decisive plays. Washington got both.

A tie game became Medrano’s moment

Seattle finally erased the deficit at 24-24 when Darnold connected with Smith-Njigba for an 11-yard touchdown with 11:53 left in the fourth quarter. At that stage, the game looked ready to tilt toward the side with more yardage and more downfield success.

Instead, Washington delivered the sharpest two-minute stretch of the day. Stevens put the Commanders back in front with a 36-yard field goal at 4:34. Then, only 37 seconds later, Medrano intercepted Darnold and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown. The failed extra point kept the margin at nine rather than 10, but it did not change the importance of the play. In a game defined by efficiency, that return was the difference between Washington protecting a narrow lead and Washington creating real separation.

Seattle still had one more response. Darnold found Kupp for a seven-yard touchdown with 2:51 remaining, trimming the score to 33-31. But no further points followed, and Washington’s combination of ball security and defensive opportunism had already done enough. The Commanders finished plus-three in turnovers, with Medrano’s scoring interception and Sonny Styles’ second pick joining the fumble recovery credited to Tim Settle.

Our take

This was a useful reminder that yardage alone can flatter the losing side. Seattle averaged 6.8 yards per play to Washington’s 4.0 and still lost because the Commanders made the game cleaner and smaller. Washington did not chase style points. It protected the football, got three touchdown passes from Mariota, received two made field goals from Stevens, and found the one defensive score that changed everything.

For Seattle, the lesson is not that the passing game failed; 393 team passing yards say the opposite. The issue was how little support Darnold received outside that phase and how damaging the mistakes became. The Seahawks rushed for 44 yards, turned the ball over three times and went only 3-for-9 on third down. When an offence asks its quarterback to carry nearly the whole load, interceptions become even more expensive.

Washington has its own warning signs after a win. The Commanders converted only 3 of 13 third downs and produced just 258 total yards, numbers that will not always be rescued by a defensive touchdown. Still, there was value in the way they won. They stayed level through Seattle’s biggest pushes, made their kicking game count, and trusted a defence that delivered the defining play of the afternoon. On this day, that was more valuable than every extra Seahawk yard.

Scoring moments

1. Period 1 · 9:08

   Rachaad White 6 Yd pass from Marcus Mariota (Drew Stevens Kick)

2. Period 2 · 13:27

   Jaxon Smith-Njigba 1 Yd pass from Sam Darnold (Jason Myers Kick)

3. Period 2 · 6:47

   Treylon Burks 11 Yd pass from Marcus Mariota (Drew Stevens Kick)

4. Period 2 · 0:52

   Jason Myers 57 Yd Field Goal

5. Period 2 · 0:00

   Drew Stevens 57 Yd Field Goal

6. Period 3 · 10:43

   Terry McLaurin 30 Yd pass from Marcus Mariota (Drew Stevens Kick)

7. Period 3 · 6:05

   Eric Saubert 13 Yd pass from Sam Darnold (Jason Myers Kick)

8. Period 4 · 11:53

   Jaxon Smith-Njigba 11 Yd pass from Sam Darnold (Jason Myers Kick)

9. Period 4 · 4:34

   Drew Stevens 36 Yd Field Goal

10. Period 4 · 3:57

    Kain Medrano 50 Yd Interception Return (Drew Stevens PAT Failed)

11. Period 4 · 2:51

    Cooper Kupp 7 Yd pass from Sam Darnold (Jason Myers Kick)