The Seahawks play Sunday at 5:20 p.m. PT against the Washington Commanders. Here is news from the week to get you ready for the matchup and other news out there about the Seattle Seahawks.

The ‘Funny Story’ Of Seahawks Coach Mike Macdonald & Commanders Coach Dan Quinn’s First Meeting

In the spring of 2013, Mike Macdonald was a 25-year-old quality control coach at the University of Georgia.

Dan Quinn, meanwhile, was preparing for his first season as a defensive coordinator in the NFL, having returned to Seattle, where he previously was the defensive line coach, after two seasons at the University of Florida.

The two didn’t know each other or have many obvious connections, but Macdonald did have a sister who lived in Kirkland, so with a visit already planned to see family, Georgia’s defensive coordinator at the time, Todd Grantham, reached out to Quinn to set up an introduction.

So 12 years before Quinn and Macdonald would face off as head coaches on Sunday Night Football, they got together at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center as a young aspiring NFL coach and a defensive coordinator who was about to help lead one of the greatest defenses of all time.

“There’s a funny story that happened when I was a GA,” Macdonald said this week. “The gist of it was DQ was the defensive coordinator here, and the guy I was working for—I was visiting my sister in Kirkland—he set up a visit with DQ here. I walked right through the entrance right there.

What To Watch In The Seahawks’ Week 9 Game At Washington

If Devon Witherspoon is indeed back this week, how does Mike Macdonald use him and Nick Emmanwori together?

For most of his first two seasons in Seattle, cornerback Devon Witherspoon has thrived as a nickel corner, making plays near the line of scrimmage, while also showing he can be an elite defender as an outside cornerback. The addition of safety Nick Emmanwori in this year’s draft gave the Seahawks another option at nickel, and Emmanwori has played a lot in that role in recent games since returning from an ankle injury.

Emmanwori exited early in the season opener with an ankle injury, then Witherspoon suffered a knee injury late in that same game that has kept him out of five of the last six games, so Emmanwori and Witherspoon have barely played together this season.

But with Witherspoon expected back soon, quite possibly this weekend, that will change for the Seahawks, which brings up an interesting question: what is the best way for the Seahawks to use two versatile, physical players who are both playmakers in the nickel spot? It’s a great “problem” for defensive coaches to work out, and one that Macdonald is no doubt having a good time sorting out.

“It’s exciting that you have those two players that can play that position, which is awesome,” Macdonald said. “We’ve got to make sure we put a tight enough plan where we can take advantage of both skill sets. That’s kind of our burden to bear as coaches to make sure that it’s clean and clear so the guys can go play the way they can play. But you know how we feel about Spoon. The guy’s a tremendous player and Nick is at the beginning of a great career. He’s off to a great start.”

Seahawks Mailbag: Defense Getting Healthy, Trade Deadline, Ranking Recent Pearl Jam Albums & More

@tetons_ asks, “Can anyone stop JSN this year?”

A: So far, the answer has been no. On his way to leading the NFL with 819 yards through seven games, Smith-Njigba has been remarkably consistent, recording 100-plus yards and eight or more catches in five of seven games. And in the two games he didn’t top those marks, Smith-Njigba still managed 79 yards on four catches in a win over Arizona, and 96 yards and a touchdown on five catches in a win over the Saints, numbers that would have been bigger had he and several other starters not sat out most of the fourth quarter.

That’s not to say Smith-Njigba won’t have a quiet game at some point this season. On his way to setting an NFL record with 1,964 yards in 2012, Calvin Johnson had five games under 100 yards, including a season-low 46 yards against Richard Sherman and the Seahawks. Cooper Kupp, who came close to that record with 1,947 yards in 2021, had six sub-100-yard games (though he went over 90 yards in five of those), with a low of 64 yards. All of that is to say that, even in the greatest of receiving seasons, there will be days where the production dips, so Smith-Njigba will probably have a quiet game at some point, but what he is doing so far this season has undoubtedly been very, very impressive.

**Seahawks Unveil Uniform Combo For Week 9 vs. Commanders**

The Seahawks return from the bye and get set to travel across the country for matchup vs. the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football. The Seahawks will wear their throwback uniforms for the Week 9 primetime matchup.

Making Connections: Players, Coaches And Other Ties Between The Seahawks & Commanders

Player And Coaching Connections

Dan Quinn, Commanders head coach

Quinn was Seattle’s defensive coordinator in 2013-2014 before taking a job as the Atlanta Falcons head coach. He also spent time as Seattle’s defensive line coach in 2009-2010 before going to the University of Florida as the defensive coordinator.

Bobby Wagner, Commanders linebacker

In 11 seasons in Seattle, Wagner was a nine-time Pro Bowler, nine-time AP All-Pro, a two-time Seahawks Man of the Year nominee and established himself as one of the franchise’s most accomplished players and made an equally big impact in the community. For all of his accomplishments, Wagner was voted to the Seahawks Top 50 Players earlier this year.