Seattle's franchise-record 12-game winning streak ended in stunning fashion Sunday, as the previously winless Commanders shocked the defending Super Bowl champions 33-31 despite starting backup quarterback Marcus Mariota. The Seahawks actually outgained Washington 437-258 and racked up 28 first downs to the Commanders' 17, making the loss almost entirely self-inflicted.
Sam Darnold's turnovers proved fatal
Darnold had one of his best statistical days as a Seahawk, throwing for 379 yards and four touchdowns, but his two interceptions overshadowed everything positive he did. The dagger came late in the fourth quarter when backup linebacker Kain Medrano picked off Darnold and returned it 50 yards for the game-winning touchdown with 3:57 remaining, turning a tight game into a Washington celebration in an instant.
KAIN MEDRANO PICKS OFF SAM DARNOLD FOR A PICK SIX!@Commanders extend their late lead
📺: FOX/FOX One pic.twitter.com/R4di9f5PoL
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 27, 2026
That interception wasn't an isolated incident, either. Seattle finished with three total turnovers on the day, and Washington converted those mistakes into 21 points, more than enough to overcome getting outgained by nearly 180 total yards. For a Seahawks offense that moved the ball at will for most of the afternoon, having their own quarterback hand Washington a short field in the fourth quarter of what should have been a comfortable win is the kind of error that decides upsets.
The turnover avalanche extended beyond the quarterback
Darnold wasn't alone in giving the ball away. Rookie running back Jadarian Price lost a first-quarter fumble that set an early tone of carelessness Seattle never fully shook. Combined with Darnold's two picks, the Seahawks finished the turnover battle at 0-3, the single biggest statistical gap in an otherwise even game.
FUMBLE 🚨@SEAvsWAS on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/RNgk2tQRjX— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026
Field Gulls' postgame review put it bluntly: Seattle didn't lose because of missing personnel or scheme issues, it lost because of three turnovers in general, not any one in isolation, and Washington scored 21 points directly off those gifts. When a team wins the total-yardage battle by 179 yards and the first-down battle by 11 and still loses, turnovers are almost always the deciding factor, and that's exactly the shape this game took.
Mike Macdonald's defense couldn't slow down a backup quarterback
The final piece of blame belongs to Seattle's defense, which entered the week as one of the league's most respected units under Mike Macdonald but had no answer for Mariota. The Commanders' backup completed 19 of 31 passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception, numbers that would be respectable for a starter, let alone a fill-in playing without Jayden Daniels.
Marcus Mariota ➡️ Treylon Burks to take the lead!@SEAvsWAS on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/AFoB4sJSIF— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026
To be fair to Seattle's defense, the underlying numbers were actually strong: Washington managed just 248 total yards, a 4.0 yards-per-play average, and converted only 3 of 13 third downs. But the unit allowed one defensive touchdown and surrendered short-field scores off the turnovers, and in the fourth quarter, with the game hanging in the balance, the Seahawks couldn't get the one stop they needed against a backup quarterback making his first meaningful start in years.
Ultimately, this loss falls hardest on the turnover-plagued offense, with Darnold's fourth-quarter pick-six as the single most damaging play, but Macdonald's defense shares real responsibility for letting Mariota author one of the most memorable performances of his career. Seattle dominated the stat sheet everywhere except the one category that decided the outcome, and that discipline breakdown is squarely on the players and coaches who put the ball on the ground or couldn't get off the field.