Seattle Seahawks vs. Washington Commanders Preview & Prediction | PFF

Seattle Seahawks vs. Washington Commanders Preview & Prediction | PFF

Seahawks traveling across the country to Washington to take on the Commanders on Sunday Night Football. Uh would assume that we’re getting Jaden Daniels back in this game since it was kind of up in the air for him to play last week. Ultimately, Marcus Mariota was there in there at quarterback for them and I believe that uh Jaden Daniels is going to play this week. Obviously, we’re recording this show on a Wednesday, so things subject to change, but uh that’s sort of the way that I am operating. You want to talk about the Commanders or the Seahawks here, Dalton? Um, I I’ll take the Seahawks offense and I’ll tell you what, obviously having Jaden Daniels back would really help. And I don’t think Marcus Mariota played that poorly against Kansas City. He’s really never played that poorly when he’s had to be out there. The Commander’s biggest problem is on defense. And it’s in the secondary. And when you’re playing this Seattle team, you better have some sort of answer for Jackson Smith and Jigba because he’s leading he’s leading the league in every category right now, even with a by-week. And I think the increased emphasis on Smith and Jigba being a vertical threat, right? His average depth of target this year is 13 yards by far his career high. It was 6.4 his rookie year. Believe it was 9.2 last year. You look at the difference of what of the role of Smith and Jigba in Klit Kubak’s offense. It’s like Kubia. It’s like Kubak went back into the film and went, “Wait a minute. I I have the guy who got 300 yards in the Rose Bowl that time and he’s been used as an as like a checkdown guy in this offense the last two years. Yeah, we’re not doing that.” Obviously a lot of 12 personnel for the Seahawks. So he’s lined up on the outside a lot more often. A lot close to 80% of the time there. 13 yard average depth of target. And you saw that 98.2 receiving grade on 10 plus yard targets. Best of any player in the NFL right now. So Smith and Jigba obviously he’s gotten better now as the years have gone on. But man oh man, the use of him in this offense as a vertical threat is a huge problem for Washington and everything that they’re trying to fix in the secondary. Yeah. for Washington. For me, they they’ve just got to be so much better at running the ball really just through their running backs. We we’ve had Jaden Daniels and Marcus Mariota to be able to run the ball pretty well. But when you look at the Commanders since week six, 164 total rushing yards from their running backs. That’s 24th in the NFL. the Seahawks since week five, lowest EPA per rush allowed when it comes to their run defense stats. And so this is one where it’s just when when you look at when the Commanders truly struggle. They’ve had injuries, you know, DVO Samuel and Terry McLuren, they’ve been in and out of lineup. Obviously, Jaden Daniels has a little bit as well, but you mentioned Marcus Mariota has not played well, has not played poorly at all whatsoever. So, they’ve had some guys in and out of the lineup that they’ve really needed. I totally understand that. But at the end of the day, this team has to be able to run the football. And in the games where they don’t get uh where they don’t get production out of their design run game from their running backs, they just really struggle. They they struggle to continue to hold on to the ball, to score points, to do what they need to do to win football games. And they are not going into a very friendly defense when it comes to having a get back game. And so, if they are able to get back, it’s going to buck against the trends for both of these teams. I think ultimately when you tie that into the fact that the commanders as a whole this season have really struggled in coverage and you mentioned Jackson Smith and Jigos production just Sam Darnold in general what he has been able to do especially attacking deep down the field. It worries me overall about the commanders winning this game. Maybe we’ll get some Jaden Daniels magic if he ends up starting in this game but on paper it’s hard for me to not go with Seattle. I’m going to go with Seattle here. 24 to7 is my final score. I’ll tell you a guy who’s made a big difference with that Seattle run defense in that spot in that stretch that you mentioned there. The rookie safety Nikki Manuri coming down. Remember before I talked about Kyle Hamilton moving down into this nickel kind of hybrid third linebacker role. That’s really how Seattle’s used Nikki Manori in the three games that he’s been starting. And with Devin Witherspoon out who’s normally such a great aggressive slot defender. Eman Warry has filled that role well. Right now he’s got an 83.9 run defense grade. Granted, that’s really just three full games, but I think the idea of him on that second level along with Ernest Jones, who’s playing great, and Tyrese Knight, who keeps getting better. Eman Wori is that hybrid guy who can really, especially play down near the line of scrimmage. I almost think about him two in a role like Shamari Connor for the Kansas City Chiefs where it’s like, “Hey man, blow up run plays, play on the weak side of these run plays, blow up screens, bubble screens on the outside, play physical and down near the line of scrimmage, and we’ll take care of everything behind you.” He’s made a big difference in that run defense as well. He should be shouted out, the rookie from South Carolina. But I I’m with you. I like Seattle in this game. I’ve got it 27 to 21. I think we get a good amount of points in this game, but I think Seattle’s run defense is a big factor. And I I don’t know what Washington’s answer could possibly be for Jackson Smith and Jigba, especially the way Sam Darnold’s throwing the football right now. Yeah, unless Mike Sham still just has the best game of his season. No question about it. I I just And maybe even Marshon Latimore, too, right? Maybe it’s just going to it’s going to take everybody to be able to defend Jackson Smith and Jigba that way. Unless we are getting the best coverage performance that we have seen from the Commanders, it’s hard to think that Seattle won’t win this game. But we’ll see. We’ll see what happens uh this weekend. And it’ll be a fun one to watch.

PFF’s Dalton Wasserman and Trevor Sikkema preview the matchup between The Seattle Seahawks and The Washington Commanders.

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