Commanders @ Seahawks
Final Score: Seahawks 29, Commanders 26
Writer: Ben Brown (@BenBrownPL on Twitter)
Rain was expected for this game, but not until the second half. Alas, it was raining at kickoff and for much of the first half, leading to sloppy play on both sides. Surprisingly, both teams elected for more of an air attack in the first half despite the weather. And early on, that looked like a grave mistake, as the 9-9 halftime score was truly gross. Geno Smith made a lot of mistakes in the first half, and it held Seattle back. But he came alive in the 2nd half, and led the Seahawks down the field for not only the go-ahead touchdown with 3:45 to go, but also the game-winning field goal as time expired. Both teams traded long drives down the stretch, and as good as Geno looked in the second half, so did Sam Howell, who spread the ball around and used his legs to keep plays alive. The game ended in thrilling fashion and surprisingly ended up being a really fun watch down the stretch.
Three Up
- The QBs – Geno and Howell both played well enough in the second half to win this game. It’s a shame Howell had to walk away with the loss
- Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf – Were both instrumental in helping Seattle march down the field on their final two drives
- Brian Robinson – Didn’t get much of an opportunity on the ground but got plenty of work in the passing game, including a 51 yard touchdown catch and run
Three Down
- Jahan Dotson – With Curtis Samuel back, Dotson once again took a back seat. It was fun while it lasted.
- Terry McLaurin – Howell spread the ball around but McLaurin faced tight coverage for much of the day. His fantasy output was limited as a result
- Kenneth Walker III – He scored on a 64 yard catch and run, but otherwise he didn’t really jump out. He’s a puzzling case of immense talent meeting mediocre results
Washington Commanders
Quarterback
Sam Howell: 29/44, 312 yards, 3 TD, 3 sacks, fumble (lost) | 2 carries, 17 yards
Howell is really good at avoiding pressure and throwing on the run. He’s crafty with the ball in his hands and is able to drop his armslot and still make an accurate throw. He made two very similar throws to Brian Robinson Jr. on the sideline, dancing around pressure and throwing an off-balance sidearm ball on the run. Robinson took one to the house and nearly did the same on the other. Howell isn’t afraid to stand in the pocket and take a hit, and he throws an accurate ball downfield when he’s under pressure. His touchdown to Dyami Brown to tie the game wasn’t under pressure, in fact he had plenty of time to stand in the pocket and find the open receiver. He threw an absolute dart though, and put it only where Brown could catch it. For the second week in a row I came away really impressed with Howell. His lone mistake was a fumble that Devin Witherspoon ripped out of his hands after scrambling for a first down. Seattle went three and out on the ensuing drive, so it didn’t end up hurting them too much. Either day, Howell is a solid fantasy option and his stock goes up each and every week.
Running Back
Brian Robinson Jr.: 8 carries, 38 yards | 6 targets, 6 receptions, 119 yards, TD
Brian Robinson Jr. had three carries in the first half. Three. Luckily for those of us rostering him in fantasy, he did take a dump off from Sam Howell 51 yards to the house untouched. On their first play of the second half, Robinson and Howell connected on basically the same exact play, but Robinson was pushed out of bounds after a huge gain. Those two plays made up the majority of Robinson’s production on the day, but he was much more involved in the passing game than you’d expect him to be. And the lack of work on the ground was really confusing, because he looked really good carrying the rock. He had back to back 10+ yard carries on their first drive of the 4th quarter. Seattle’s defense wasn’t exactly stopping them through the air, so I guess there was no reason to keep pounding the ball on the ground. It just felt weird throughout the game that Robinson wasn’t featured more on the ground. That’s why I’m sitting on my couch instead of out there coaching these guys.
Antonio Gibson: 4 carries, 13 yards | 6 targets, 5 receptions, 42 yards, TD
Gibson had an up and down game. He stumbled on the opening kickoff but immediately got back up and took it for a nice gain. He made a mistake by not going out of bounds on a catch right before the half, causing the Commanders to burn a timeout. He got up and immediately started shaking his head – he knew he screwed up. He found himself wide open downfield for an easy pitch and catch touchdown from Howell, diving into the end zone for the score. I was surprised that Robinson was just as involved in the passing game as Gibson – and honestly, he looked better than the receiving specialist out of Memphis.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Terry McLaurin: 8 targets, 4 receptions, 33 yards
Howell looked his way plenty, but McLaurin was well covered for much of it. Howell did overthrow Terry in the end zone at one point, a missed connection that really would have helped fantasy managers starting him. Howell did target 11 different players in this one, and they were one defensive stop away from forcing overtime. Not force feeding McLaurin was the right move for the football team today.
Jahan Dotson: 2 targets
It looks like Dotson’s fantasy potential truly is linked to the health of Curtis Samuel. After two straight weeks of solid production with Samuel out, Dotson was relegated to an afterthought in this one and was only targeted twice. His second target came on Washington’s final drive.
Curtis Samuel: 6 targets, 2 receptions, 6 yards
Jamison Crowder: 1 target
Dropped his only target of the game on Washington’s last drive.
Logan Thomas: 5 targets, 5 receptions, 40 yards
Thomas continues to teeter on the edge of fantasy relevance. He is a reliable check down option for Sam Howell and converted multiple third downs in this game.
Dyami Brown: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 41 yards, TD
Dyami Brown made up for his end zone drop last week with two really notable catches today. He made a great diving catch across the middle of the field to announce his presence in this game. Then, on Washington’s final drive, Brown caught the game-tying TD with under a minute to go. He outran multiple defenders across the field and into the end zone on the play. He’s not a fantasy option at this time, but he’s got the skills to be a good receiver if only he could catch the ball more consistently.
John Bates: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 21 yards
Byron Pringle: 2 targets, 1 reception, 7 yards
Alex Armah: 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards
Seattle Seahawks
Quarterback
Geno Smith: 31/47, 369 yards, 2 TD, sack | 1 carry, 13 yards
Geno Smith is responsible for the following plays in the first half alone:
- Delay of game on 4th and one inside the 10. Led to a field goal
- Missed a wide open Zach Charbonnet in the flat with a bad pass off target, would have been an easy 1st down. Led to another field goal
- Called for a false start on 4th and 1 in the red zone. Bobbed his head on a hard count and got called for it
- Intentional grounding with under 10 seconds to play in the half, 10 second runoff ends the half. Seattle was in field goal range
And yet, he somehow walks away from this game the hero after leading Seattle down the field on two scoring drives in the final four minutes of the game. Yes, the first half was a rough go of it for Geno, but once he started finding DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett late in the 3rd quarter this offense really started to click. Their final drives were 11 plays, 55 yards for a field goal, 10 plays, 75 yards for a touchdown, and seven plays, 50 yards for a field goal. On these drives Geno was calm, cool, and collected. He didn’t force anything he didn’t need to, he made good decisions, and used his legs to extend plays and give his receivers opportunities to get open. He made a really nice throw on the move to Lockett on the sideline, putting the ball in a spot that only Lockett could get it in tight coverage. Once I saw that I knew the Seahawks were going to win this game. It’s funny how Geno could end the 1st half in such a bonehead way only to then end the second half on such a high note. He’s a hard guy to trust in fantasy circles on a regular basis but he’s got the good stuff in him and it really came out in the second half of this football game.
Running Back
Kenneth Walker III: 19 carries, 63 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 64 yards, TD
Walker was bottled up for much of the game, but his 64 yard catch and run for the score is what everyone will talk about. He had a 13 yard run late in the second quarter that I jotted down, mostly because it was the first time he really popped in this game. And I don’t really recall any other times he popped besides the long touchdown catch. I haven’t watched much of Seattle this year, and I was expecting more out of Walker. He just didn’t really jump off the screen at all. He certainly didn’t look like a top 10 RB in the league.
Zach Charbonnet: 6 carries, 44 yards | 5 targets, 4 receptions, 18 yards
I saw much more of Zach Charbonnet in obvious passing down situations, such as at the end of the game in the two minute offense. The reports of him overtaking Walker as the lead back in this offense seem premature, as I don’t think either guy ever looked exceptional besides Walker’s long touchdown catch and run.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tyler Lockett: 10 targets, 8 receptions, 92 yards, TD
Lockett started this game by taking a big helmet-to-helmet hit on an obvious unnecessary roughness penalty that resulted in the defender getting ejected from the game. Lockett was slow to get up and was looked at in the medical tent, missing the rest of the drive. He returned for the very next drive but was quiet for most of the game, honestly. It wasn’t until the Seahawks’ second to last drive, the go-ahead touchdown drive, that Lockett really turned it on. He had four catches for 52 yards and a touchdown on that drive alone, turning a modest day into a WR1 day real quickly. It’s good to see Geno Smith trust him with the game on the line.
DK Metcalf: 12 targets, 7 receptions, 98 yards
Lockett went off on the 2nd to last drive of the game, and DK Metcalf was the hero on the final, game-winning drive with 34 yards on two catches to set them up in field goal position. Prevent defense by the Commanders only prevented them a win, and DK padded the stats at the same time. Again, same as Lockett, the fantasy output could have been worse if not for the end of game heroics. Considering that DK’s first two targets of the game were knocked away by a defender each time, the fact that he came up two yards short of the century mark does sting a bit for those playing in leagues with a 100 yard bonus.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 53 yards
Smith-Njigba looked like he was primed for a huge day after earning three catches for 39 yards on the Seahawks’ opening drive, and only one of those catches came after Lockett’s injury. However, he reverted to the third option in this offense once again despite that short flash of brilliance. He’s got it in him, he just needs the opportunity.
Jake Bobo: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards
Noah Fant: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 6 yards
Will Dissly: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 22 yards
Colby Parkinson: 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards