The NFL’s Week 9 slate may be winding down, but the competition is only heating up. Seahawks vs. Commanders as Sunday’s nightcap is a prime example of that, featuring a pair of feisty NFC clubs.
The Sunday Night Football outing (8:20 p.m. ET on NBC) sees 5-2 Seattle hit the road to take on 3-5 Washington. With both teams trending in opposite directions as of late, the pressure to make a playoff push is on.
Below, we’ll break down our Seahawks vs. Commanders prediction and some top SNF picks to consider. Use PrizePicks NFL to monitor player projections and make picks for real rewards if you’re right.
Seahawks vs. Commanders Prediction, Preview for SNF, Week 9
Sunday marks the 24th meeting between these two organizations, with Washington boasting a narrow 13-10 series lead. The teams have split their last two meetings; 2023’s 29-26 outcome fell in favor of Seattle.
As far as injuries are concerned, the Commanders have a mixed bag. QB Jayden Daniels will return after missing time with a hamstring injury, and head coach Dan Quinn expects LT Laremy Tunsil (hamstring) and K Matt Gay (back) to join him.
On the flip side, star WR Terry McLaurin (quad) won’t play after sitting out of practice this week.
For the Seahawks, they had some injuries pop up coming out of the bye. WRs Jake Bobo (Achilles) and Cooper Kupp (heel/hamstring) were limited at points in the week, with Kupp being downgraded from Wednesday to Thursday. QB Sam Darnold (chest) was a full participant at practice each day.
Seattle Seahawks Preview vs. Commanders
- Year one of the head coach Mike Macdonald era saw Seattle improve to 10-7, although the franchise narrowly missed out on a wild card spot in the playoffs.
- This year’s Seahawks team looks dangerous, ranking in the top seven in scoring on both sides of the ball.
- Both of the club’s 2025 losses are one-score affairs: 17-13 to the 49ers in Week 1 and 38-35 to the Buccaneers in Week 5.
- The Seahawks’ run defense is their staple, ranking second in the sport in EPA/play (-0.19), per SumerSports.
- Seattle’s offense is no slouch, however, leading the league with an 8.1% explosive play rate according to Sharp Football Analysis.
Washington Commanders Preview vs. Seahawks
- Washington had a massive year-over-year improvement from 2023 to 2024, going from 4-13 to 12-5 with a trip to the NFC championship game.
- The 2025 campaign has been a rocky one, seeing the Commanders come back down to Earth. Injuries, namely to Daniels and McLaurin, have contributed to a 3-5 start.
- Though the offense has stagnated at times, it still ranks ninth in overall success rate and is 10th on late downs, per Jefe’s Handiwork.
- Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.’s group is the culprit, ranking 24th in EPA/play.
Seahawks vs. Commanders Picks for Sunday Night Football
Here are three Seahawks vs. Commanders Week 9 picks for Sunday Night Football. Some top same-game PrizePicks projections to consider include Seattle QB Sam Darnold and WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, as well as Washington QB Jayden Daniels.
Seahawks QB Sam Darnold vs. Commanders Projection: 241.5 Pass Yards
- Darnold averages 250.6 passing yards per game this season and leads the league in yards per attempt (9.1) and yards per completion (13.4).
- According to SumerSports, 35 QBs have logged at least 100 plays. Darnold’s 0.21 EPA/play mark ranks sixth, right behind Patrick Mahomes.
- Just one QB (Eagles star Jalen Hurts) has more deep passing yards than Darnold’s 513, per NFL Pro. The Commanders rank 25th in explosive plays on defense.
- Despite having the NFL’s fourth-lowest pass rate over expected (-5.8%, via nfelo), Seattle’s 9.1-yard average depth of target ranks first to make up for it.
- Only the Bengals, Colts and Cowboys have given up more passing yards than the Commanders’ 2,087 this season.
Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba vs. Commanders Projection: 98.5 Receiving Yards
- Smith-Njigba paces the field with 117 receiving yards per game and 11.7 yards per target.
- In each of his three games before the bye, the former first-round pick had 8 catches and a TD. He posted a staggering 417 yards in that span.
- Via Fantasy Points Data, Smith-Njigba is one of five WRs to average at least 2.5 yards per route run against both zone and man coverage.
- The October NFC Offensive Player of the Month leads all WRs in target share at 38.25%, per SumerSports.
- Opposing WRs have logged 1,305 yards against Washington this year, good for the fourth-most in the sport.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels vs. Seahawks Projection: 268.5 Pass + Rush Yards
- Daniels played just 46 snaps in Week 7’s 44-22 loss to the Cowboys before getting hurt, finishing with 191 total yards. In his other four other starts, he’s averaged 262.7.
- Seattle faces football’s highest pass rate on a weekly basis due to its stingy run defense.
- Last year’s No. 2 overall draft pick has at least 7 rush attempts in every 2025 start.
- Daniels’ 13.11% scramble rate is the highest of any qualified QB, a good 2.23% ahead of Patriots stud Drake Maye.
- The former LSU star ranks first in yards per attempt (12.0) and completion percentage (70) when scrambling, per NFL Pro.
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