So, get this: the same Washington Commanders squad that handed our Seahawks a loss earlier this season just went out and tied the New York Giants. Seriously? A tie? With a 1-3-1 record, it’s beyond frustrating that a team battling for their season with a losing record managed to beat our guys. It makes you wonder what was really going on out there, doesn’t it?
Commanders Are a Mess, But Their Win Against Us Wasn’t a Fluke
Let’s be real, the Commanders are in a spiral, sitting at 1-3-1. They’re going to be absolutely desperate for a win, especially on national TV against the “hottest team in the league,” the Niners. That’d be huge for them. But don’t sleep on some of their pieces. Their front seven, led by Sonny Styles, is legit. This guy is really, really good,maybe one of the few linebackers who can actually keep up with tight ends like George Kittle or running backs like Christian McCaffrey. However, their secondary? It looks way more exploitable. On offense, their interior O-line was a huge question mark preseason, but they’ve shored it up by signing Lucas Patrick at center and getting starting guard Sam Cosmi back from injury. The real wild card, though, is Jayden Daniels. Everyone’s talking about him. Meanwhile, the Niners will be without linebacker Dre Greenlaw, whose suspension appeal was rejected. Rookie Jaden Dugger, who actually filled in for Greenlaw against *our* Seahawks, is expected to start in his place Monday night.
How The Niners, And Then Washington, Made Our Defense Pay
Remember that game against the Niners? Their defensive line absolutely showed out, having what was described as their best game in years against our Seahawks. And it seems like their offense found some weaknesses too. The film review is brutal: our two-deep shells are supposed to discourage deep passes and mess with quarterbacks’ reads. But here’s the kicker: we play a fair amount of one-on-one coverage outside when our safeties rotate or “poach.” Quarterbacks like Matthew Stafford have made careers out of finding those one-on-one matchups, and guys like Puka Nacua and Davante Adams thrive in those situations.
Against us, Brock Purdy found those exact matchups, and Mike Evans absolutely made the Seahawks pay. Picture this play: our guys lined up with two deep safeties, just like usual, which *should* make QBs think twice about throwing deep. But after the snap, the weak-side safety rotated and turned his hips toward the three-receiver side. That left our backside corner, Josh Jobe, all alone, one-on-one with Evans. Purdy, smart as he is, knew that safety couldn’t help Jobe on the outside because of his technique. That’s a huge breakdown, and it’s exactly what Washington would have seen on film to exploit us, too. And speaking of breakdowns, remember that intentional grounding play? Luke Farrell was the in-line tight end, Brayden Willis was off the line, and Jordan Watkins, our receiver, motioned like he was off but then lined up on the line. That covered up Farrell, making him ineligible. These are the kinds of plays that just can’t happen, not if we want to be taken seriously.
So, as the Niners head into their game against Washington, we need our guys, especially our coaching staff, to be taking notes. We’ve seen firsthand how both of these teams can pick apart weaknesses in our scheme. Our defense has to tighten up, especially those one-on-one situations. Let’s hope Mike Macdonald and Brian Fleury are putting in the work to ensure we learn from these early-season film sessions. We need to come back stronger, Seattle!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Niners Nation.
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