The Washington Commanders secured a tightly contested 33-31 Week 3 win over the Seattle Seahawks to avoid going 0-3. Moreover, the Commanders bounced back after losing Jayden Daniels in Week 2 to an elbow injury.
After losing Daniels, the Commanders aren’t letting their season get derailed, and one standout performer in the win over the Seahawks was rookie linebacker Sonny Styles.
Despite concerns over Styles’ preseason performance, the first-round pick has performed well in the regular season and had arguably the best game as a professional against the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Styles had four tackles and forced two turnovers (an interception and a forced fumble). As a result, the rookie generated a reaction for his performance against the Seahawks.
“Sonny Styles is having a day,” Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan wrote on X on Sept. 27. “Second takeaway. Both have led to short-field TDs. Rookie taking over.”
Meanwhile, Eric Nathan of Barstool Sports noted what he’s seen from Styles after sharing his thoughts on a pass breakup from the rookie who showed that he can drop back into coverage.
“Sonny Styles looks like a Madden create-a-player here when you’d make yourself 7 feet tall with 99 speed,” Nathan wrote on X on Sept. 27.
Moreover, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic was also amazed at Styles’ ability to play the pass against the Seahawks.
“Sonny Styles, the former safety, in coverage deep on Jadarian Price and gets the PBU. Goodness,” Jhabvala wrote on X on Sept. 27.
Marcus Mariota Played Major Role in Win
Aside from Styles, Marcus Mariota showed that he can steady the ship for the Commanders with Daniels out. The veteran QB went 19-for-31 on his pass attempts for 183 passing yards, three touchdowns and a passer rating of 113.9.
He was also sacked twice, but it didn’t affect his play, as Mariota also took care of the football. Moreover, Mariota had the key run to seal the win over the Seahawks and give Seattle their first loss since last November.
The Commanders didn’t fall to 0-3 and are now 1-2 heading into Week 4, with confidence that Mariota and the team can hold the fort until Daniels returns and turn their season around. Now, Washington be heading to London to face the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 4 to see if they can get to .500 and start a winning streak.
Commanders Had Faith in Marcus Mariota Heading Into Week 3
While there were questions about Mariota, veteran wideout Stefon Diggs was backing the QB heading into the game against Seattle.
“He’s a good quarterback,” Diggs said. “He’s been in this league a long time. We’ve got a lot of confidence in him. As a receiver, you just got to go with the right mindset of getting open and catching the ball. It’s still football at the end of the day, and you want to be open for him.”
“I really hate to say have the next-man-up mindset, it’s so cliché,” Diggs said. “But we can’t do anything about it. At this point, we’re trying to move forward. Hopefully (Daniels) can come back at some point this season, but for now, we’re rocking with eight.”
Sonny Styles Sparks Strong Reaction After Commanders Beat Seahawks