Some teams simply don’t get the respect they’ve earned.

Take the NFC West, for example. The vast majority of the NFL media love to and want to talk about San Francisco and Los Angeles. Ever notice they don’t talk about Seattle as much? It’s simply the case: the Seahawks are going to have to have the better record and be at the top of the division before they get the attention. NFC East teams have lived with this for decades. They know Dallas will get the most attention every year.

The Seahawks are a good team, according to the numbers. It’s great that the Washington Commanders are wearing their Super Bowl era uniforms for Sunday’s Week 9 game. It’s great that the Commanders are honoring Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Art Monk by retiring his jersey at halftime. But the 3-5 Commanders are going to need to play a good all-around game to defeat the Seahawks on Sunday.

The Seahawks are coming off a bye week. The Commanders are coming off a short week, during which three starters were injured and did not return. One of those is their best receiver, Terry McLaurin, and McLaurin has already been ruled out for the game.

However, the Commanders do have quarterback Jayden Daniels returning. They are going to need him because the Seahawks have played impressively. Daniels is going to need the Commanders to get their run game moving again. He is also going to need these receivers to get some separation. Hey, the Seahawks are third in the NFL, only surrendering 4.7 yards per play. They have also intercepted eight passes, which is fifth-best in the NFL. They also give up only 5.4 net yards per pass attempt, which is tied for fifth-best.

With the Commanders’ defense struggling as it has most of the season, they are going to need to produce a few takeaways. And the offense can’t have those three crucial dropped passes they had against the Chiefs. Oh, and about the Commanders’ run game that has been on the decline the last three weeks? Well, guess which defense is the best against the run through eight weeks? That’s right, the Seattle Seahawks. They lead the NFL, yielding only 3.3 yards per rushing attempt.

But of course, it’s highly unlikely that most don’t have any idea how good the Seahawks have been thus far in 2025. The Commanders better come ready for a hard-fought battle.