Tag: Jayden Daniels

Sam Darnold passed for 330 yards and four touchdowns, and the Seattle Seahawks routed the Washington Commanders 38-14 for their third straight win Sunday night in Landover, Md.

Darnold tied the franchise record by completing his first 17 passes and finished 21 of 24. He threw one interception.

Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels, returning after missing one game with a hamstring injury, left in the fourth quarter after sustaining a left elbow injury when he was sacked by Drake Thomas. He had completed 16 of 22 passes for 153 yards and one interception. Daniels ran for a touchdown and 51 yards.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba had eight catches for 129 yards for Seattle (6-2), and Tory Horton had four catches for 48 yards and two touchdowns.

Seattle outgained Washington 418-290.

The Seahawks remained undefeated on the road (4-0), while the reeling Commanders (3-6) lost their fourth straight game.

The Seahawks led 31-7 at halftime. Tight end AJ Barner capped a 60-yard drive when he took a direct snap and scored from the 1 late in the third quarter.

One play after Daniels was injured, Chris Rodriguez Jr. scored on a 4-yard run with 7:14 left to play.

Seattle went 90 yards in 12 plays on its first drive. Darnold threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Horton and the Seahawks led 7-0.

The Seahawks then broke it open with two touchdowns in 11 seconds.

Seven plays after Daniels was intercepted by Ty Okada at the Seattle 40, Horton beat Mike Sainristil off the line and Darnold found him in the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown.

When Jaylin Lane fumbled the kick-off, Seattle recovered on the Washington 26, and on the next play, Darnold hit Elijah Arroyo, whose first NFL touchdown made it 21-0 with 8:41 left in the first half.

After a false start penalty wiped out a fourth-and-1 conversion, Washington punted. Seattle started at the 13, and four plays later the score was 28-0.

Darnold hit Smith-Njigba for 22 yards and then found Cody White, who went 60 yards for his first NFL touchdown.

The Commanders got on the board with 53 seconds left in the half after a 10-play, 68-yard drive. Daniels ran 12 yards to the 1-yard line and scored on the next play.

Jason Myers hit a 41-yard field goal as the half ended to make it 31-7.

Darnold finished the half 16-for-16 passing for 282 yards and four touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

The Seattle Seahawks will look to keep pace in the NFC West race when they visit the Washington Commanders for a Sunday night matchup.

Seattle (5-2) has won two straight and comes out of its bye tied with the Los Angeles Rams atop the division, a half-game ahead of the San Francisco 49ers.

“We’re doing a lot of great things in terms of finishing plays, and there’s more to be had in really all three phases,” Seattle coach Mike Macdonald said Wednesday. “The best way I can explain it is, I’m excited about where we are and where we can go.”

The Commanders (3-5) have lost three straight as they were unable to follow up on a 7-7 first half against the Kansas City Chiefs in a 28-7 road loss Monday night. They trail the Philadelphia Eagles by three games in the NFC East and are facing what could be called a must-win game with the Detroit Lions visiting next week.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels (right hamstring) could return to face the Seahawks after missing one game.

“If everything goes right, hopefully I’m out there Sunday night,” Daniels said.

The news was not good regarding Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin. He returned from a four-game absence to oppose the Chiefs and made three catches, including a toe-tap touchdown, but left after reinjuring his right quad and won’t play Sunday.

“We’ll re-evaluate it next week to see where it goes,” Washington coach Dan Quinn said. “Bummed for him. Bummed for us. (It’s) just tough.”

Neither left tackle Laremy Tunsil (hamstring) nor kicker Matt Gay (back) practiced Wednesday. Quinn said he would have a better idea about their status on Friday.

After intercepting Patrick Mahomes twice in the first half Monday night, Washington’s defense gave up touchdowns on three consecutive second-half drives.

“Arrow going up and we’ve still got a lot of our story to write on defense,” Quinn said. “I thought the tackling and the tracking were better. … Created some takeaways. I thought that was a big piece for us in terms of stepping in the right direction.”

Washington had only three takeaways entering Monday night.

The Commanders’ defense — including former Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner — is allowing 372.8 yards per game (27th in the NFL) and will be facing an 11th-ranked Seattle offense that is gaining 350.6 yards per game.

Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is coming off arguably his worst game of the season, as he completed 17 of 31 passes for 213 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a win over the Houston Texans. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is averaging eight catches for 139 yards and a touchdown over his past three games.

Seahawks kicker Jason Myers has converted 13 of 17 field-goal attempts, including 4 of 6 from 50-plus yards. Gay has hit 10 of 14, including 4 of 7 from 50-plus.

If Daniels can’t go, Marcus Mariota would make his fourth start of the season. He passed for 213 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions Monday night.

“Both operate their offense really well,” Macdonald said, “so the type of plays we’re going to be practicing against and preparing for wouldn’t really change based on who’s playing.”

Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (knee) was a full practice participant on Wednesday, and outside linebacker Derick Hall (oblique) was limited. Wide receiver/kick returner Dareke Young (quad) did not practice. The Seahawks signed former Bears, Falcons and Saints receiver/kick returner Velus Jones Jr. to the practice squad.

Seattle rookie fullback Robbie Ouzts (ankle) returned to practice, but safety Julian Love (hamstring) did not practice and could miss the Sunday game.

The Seahawks won the teams’ most recent meeting 29-26 on a Myers field goal as time expired in Seattle on Nov. 12, 2023.

–Field Level Media