Non-Existent Run Game Haunts Seahawks’ One-Dimensional Offense in 33-31 Loss to Commanders
Picking up where they left off on a 16-play scoring drive to put away the Arizona Cardinals one week earlier, the Seattle Seahawks nearly generated an explosive run on the first play from scrimmage against the Washington Commanders on Sunday with Jadarian Price cutting back against the grain behind several nice blocks and powering his way past the marker for an 11-yard run and a first down.
But from that point on, the Seahawks could not get anything going on the ground, as the Commanders bucked up at the line of scrimmage and swarmed the trio of Price, Emanuel Wilson, and George Holani for the rest of the soggy afternoon. 16 combined carries over the final 58 minutes netted a total of - gulp - 28 yards, less than two yards per carry as the visitors had to pivot to airing it out in the second half with run play after run play setting them behind the sticks.
Ultimately, Seattle still managed to put 31 points on the scoreboard with Sam Darnold throwing for 379 yards and tossing four touchdown passes, including two to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. But the inability to run the ball all day long made the offense too one-dimensional, and Washington made the veteran quarterback pay twice with costly interceptions, including a pick-six from linebacker Kain Medrano with less than five minutes to play in the game as the home team sealed a 33-31 upset over the defending champions.
After the game, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald didn’t have much of an answer to the team’s run game woes in Sunday’s defeat, crediting the Commanders for dictating things up front and Darnold’s effectiveness de-prioritizing establishing the run game down the stretch.
“Honestly, I’m not sure. That was a good front. I think we were trying to find solutions,” Macdonald said. “I think, also, the way the second half went with the weather clearing up and the way the pass game was going, I think that’s where we decided to emphasize.”
Wilson Departs as Manager, Rizzs Calls Final Game as M’s Finish Year 76-86
The 2026 Mariners season has come to a close. It opened with incredible and much-discussed promise, it sank visibly into the unforgiving ocean as the season went on, and it came to an unceremonious end over the duration of September, each nail slammed in the casket to the crawling cadence of an old sea dirge.
The story of our latter-day Edmund Fitzgerald ended with the long-telegraphed departure of manager Dan Wilson, who informed his players before the final game that it would be his last as skipper. In response to a direct question about whether he had left of his own accord or whether the decision had come from above, Wilson merely left strong hints.
“This was, you know, I've been in baseball a while, and this is what happens,” he said. “Managers shoulder the blame and shoulder the responsibility. And this is obviously difficult, and my family and I are still processing it.”
In spite of it all, there was a bit of fanfare on the final Sunday of them all, but despite the 7-3 team win, it was for a series of individuals; the collective spirit had been drained to the uttermost depths long before Logan Gilbert took the hill for his final start of 2026.
Gilbert indeed had his flowers as he passed 200 strikeouts in a season for the second time in his career, finishing his year with 205 punchouts and moving up to 1,089 for his career. So did Randy Arozarena, who capped off a career year batting .281 with a .381 on-base percentage and .484 slugging. J.P. Crawford, the longest-tenured member of the team, went 1-3 to finish the year. Both Arozarena and Crawford are free agents after this season and both are unlikely to return to Seattle.
Legendary broadcaster Rick Rizzs, however, was the most notable departure. He addressed the crowd at length after the final pitch, thanking them for their support over 41 years broadcasting the team’s games.
“I am retiring, not expiring,” Rizzs playfully reassured the fans. “72, I’m still okay.”
Having announced before the season that 2026 would be his last, the extent of Rizzs’ remaining on-air career would be determined by the play on the field.
And that play, regardless of what happened on the final day, was not up to snuff.
Washington State Falls to Arizona 34-24 After Early Lead Slips Away
Washington State got off to a fast start Saturday afternoon, but the Cougars could not maintain their momentum as the Arizona Wildcats rallied behind quarterback Noah Fifita for a 34-24 win.
The Cougars jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter behind an efficient opening drive from Caden Pinnick and a pick-six from Jackquintin Bal. However, Arizona responded with four straight scoring drives to take control of the game after that point.
Washington State falls to 1-3 on the season following the loss, while Arizona improves to 3-1 with the two teams heading in opposite directions as conference play approaches.
The Cougars had several opportunities to stay within striking distance late, but the offensive struggles that have plagued them at times this season showed up again down the stretch.
The Pie Chart of Blame: Five Reasons Why Seahawks Were Upset by Commanders
The Seahawks rolled into Landover, Maryland as an 8.5-point favorite. They left with their feathery tail between their legs in an upset defeat at the hands of the understaffed Commanders, 33-31. So, what happened?
When a football team loses a game, there is never just one singular moment that leads to the loss. It’s usually a factor of several things that piled up along the way. Let’s try to sort out five reasons.
Injuries to Julian Love, Ty Okada, and Anthony Bradford: 25%
A chunk of this loss can be chalked up to injuries. But not the entire reason.
Rapid Reaction: Seahawks Sunk by Turnovers, Stunned by Commanders in 33-31 Defeat
Outscored by 21 points off turnovers, including a killer pick-six thrown by Sam Darnold to Kain Medrano late in the fourth quarter, the Seattle Seahawks fell victim to the underdog Washington Commanders in a stunning 33-31 defeat to lose for the first time since last November.
Playing in his first game since the opener, Darnold threw for 379 yards with four touchdown passes, including a pair of scoring tosses to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. However, his two picks led to 14 points for the Commanders, sullying an otherwise strong outing from the veteran quarterback. Defensively, Leonard Williams and Derick Hall produced a pair of sacks, but Marcus Mariota managed to throw three touchdowns against a normally formidable unit.
Suffering their first loss of the season, here are five takeaways from Sunday’s unexpected blemish at Northwest Stadium:
1. Losing the turnover battle as well as the points off turnover margin ultimately cost the Seahawks.
Prior to Week 2, the Seahawks had not lost a turnover since the end of the regular season back in January. But that trend has been turned upside down in the early stages of the new campaign, starting with rookie running back Jadarian Price struggling to protect the football in the run game. After losing a fumble in Arizona last week, the first round pick coughed it up again in the first quarter as cornerback Amik Robertson forced it out at the Seattle 21-yard line and Washington recovered. Only a few plays later, Mariota hit running back Rachaad White for a six-yard touchdown to put the home team out in front, and the rookie stayed on the sidelines for most of the remainder of the first half in what appeared to be an unofficial benching.
Halftime Observations: Seahawks Dogged by Mistakes, Trail 17-10 to Commanders
Harmed by a litany of penalties on both sides of the ball and a lost fumble by rookie running back Jadarian Price, the Seattle Seahawks allowed two touchdown passes to backup quarterback Marcus Mariota as the Washington Commanders took an unexpected 17-10 lead into halftime at Northwest Stadium.
Here are three quick takeaways from a mostly sloppy first half in Landover:
1. Looking healthy and moving well, Darnold started to find a rhythm late in the first quarter as a facilitator.
Returning to the lineup after missing most of the past two games with a glute injury, Darnold’s mobility got tested early as Washington’s front line flushed him from the pocket a couple of times on Seattle’s first two offensive possessions. He moved well and didn’t show any reservations about taking off in his first game back in the lineup, but two of the first three series ended with quick Michael Dickson punts as he completed two out of four passes for just 16 yards, not attempting any throws beyond 10 yards up to that point.
Kade Anderson Exits Early as Mariners Beat Angels 8-4
The Seattle Mariners got back to their winning ways in the penultimate game of the season, beating the rival Angels 8-4. The pitching was strong, and the offense was even stronger to secure the win.
Coming off a career performance in Colorado, rookie Kade Anderson looked to finish his first major league season strong. He got off to a fast start but was forced to exit the game early due to injury.
The offense continued to show what could have been this season, scoring eight runs on a remarkable 12 hits and six walks. It served as another reminder that if the lineup had heated up earlier in the year, Seattle’s season might not be ending Sunday.
The ceremonial farewell weekend for legendary radio broadcaster Rick Rizzs continued as he threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game. Seattle sent its longtime voice off into the sunset with a triumphant win.
Minnesota Stuns Huskies at Home in Conference Opener
Much was expected of the Washington Huskies football team entering the 2026 season.
With the return of $4-plus million quarterback Demond Williams Jr., a stout defense and some highly touted yet inexperienced players around Williams, there was talk of being in the mix for a College Football Playoff.
After three uninspiring wins during a weak non-conference schedule, the Huskies’ thoughts of a strong season suffered a major setback with a 27-24 to midling Big Ten team Minnesota Saturday night in the conference opener at Husky Stadium.
The black uniforms looked cool, the band sounded good and the student section showed out. All else was essentially a mess for the Huskies. It was Washington’s first loss at Husky Stadium to an unranked opponent since a disaster of a 2021 season when UW finished 4-8.
Morris, Rusnák Shine as Sounders Down Minnesota to Re-Enter Playoff Picture
The Seattle Sounders improved to 9-8-9 on Saturday night by beating visiting Minnesota United 3-1. Jordan Morris scored the opening goal in stunning fashion, impacting the game for 90 strong minutes while Albert Rusnák added two assists in a wire-to-wire performance as a distributor. The result moved Seattle to ninth place in the MLS Western Conference, putting the Rave Green back in the playoff picture after a dreadful summer that saw Seattle lose eight straight.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali was on scene, and he breaks down the night’s action.
Kraken Struggle Defending Power Play, Drop Preseason Finale 4-3 to Canucks
Not able to muster late magic as they did the night before, the Seattle Kraken finished the preseason 3-1, falling to the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 on Saturday night at Rogers Arena.
Overall, Lane Lambert’s group looked solid, jumping out to an early two-goal lead. But a Ryan Winterton penalty gave the Canucks a late power play, which they capitalized on.
Mackie Samoskevich, who took a big hit on Thursday night, missed the game with a day-to-day upper-body injury. With players moving up the lineup as a result, Oscar Fisker-Mølgaard drew into his fourth preseason game on the bottom line. He might have beat out Curtis Douglas and Ben Meyers for the 13th forward roster spot, but that decision will be made official with the roster moves this week.
The Kraken got an early power play goal from Brandon Montour, his second of the preseason. Across the two games with the Kraken bonafide NHL’ers, the team went 1-of-4 on the power play. Bobby McMann continued his goal scoring ways as well, helping the Kraken build a 2-0 lead.
Nathan De Sousa Cleared by NCAA, Gives Gonzaga Eligible Point Guard
Although Xaivian Lee remains eligible under his temporary restraining order, the Gonzaga Bulldogs haven’t officially added him to the roster. This is also true for Javon Bennett and Chauncey Wiggins, other 5-in-5 commits whose preliminary injunctions were stayed by the NCAA and who are currently ineligible after being previously cleared.
But the Zags got positive news on international recruit 23-year-old Nathan De Sousa, who is finally eligible for the 2026-27 season three months after he initially committed to GU. De Sousa, a French native, becomes the 11th available Bulldog and the roster’s only true point guard.
Because of De Sousa’s age, his professional experience, and the NCAA’s mandate that athletes must complete five seasons within five years after their high school graduation, he will have only one year of eligibility. Still, after signing his financial aid agreement, De Sousa brings stability and a veteran presence to Gonzaga’s backcourt as a ball-handler capable of running a quality offense.
Earlier this week, French news outlet Ouest-France first reported that De Sousa was cleared to play collegiately. Gonzaga announced on social media that De Sousa officially joined the squad on Thursday. He arrived in Spokane about a month ago, but had to wait a little longer for things to be finalized. As De Sousa told Ouest-France, “I took a risk, but it paid off.”
‘Next Man Up’ Reaches New Threshold as Seahawks Head to Nation’s Capital With Short-Handed Safety Group
Every NFL team preaches the mantra “next man up,” but few teams actually execute the idea better than the Seattle Seahawks, who have built one of the strongest rosters in the league with an emphasis on the “Power of 70” through stockpiling and developing talent on the 53-man and practice squad.
Under the watch of coach Mike Macdonald and general manager John Schneider, the Seahawks have been able to consistently weather the storm when it comes to injuries, including benefiting from the presence of an experienced, proven backup quarterback in Drew Lock in the first two weeks of the 2026 season. Injuries have been especially problematic at the safety spot, where rookie Bud Clark suffered a season-ending broken ankle in the preseason, Nick Emmanwori missed the first game recovering from offseason ankle surgery, and Ty Okada has sat out the first two games with a hamstring injury, but veteran Rodney Thomas II more than picked up the slack as the team raced out to a 2-0 start.
But with Okada still not ready to return and star safety Julian Love ruled out with a new calf injury suffered in Thursday’s practice, even with Emmanwori slated to see an uptick in snaps after playing nine defensive plays in his season debut last weekend, the Seahawks will have their depth tested even further against the Commanders on the road on Sunday. Down both of their projected starters on the back end, Thomas will have to take on a far bigger role as a communicator in the secondary, and Macdonald may have to deploy a by-committee approach at the other spot with the team now down to third and potentially fourth-string players trying to step up.
Washington State Looks to Build Momentum vs. Visiting Arizona
Washington State will return home Saturday afternoon looking to build on its first win of the Kirby Moore era when the Cougars host the Arizona Wildcats at Gesa Field.
The Cougars enter the matchup 1-2 after opening the season with road losses to Washington and Kansas State before bouncing back with a 48-7 win over Duquesne last Saturday. Arizona enters Pullman at 2-1 after defeating Northern Illinois 42-17 last weekend. Kickoff is set for 4:30 PM PT on CBS.
For Washington State, the Arizona game represents another opportunity to see where the team stands against a Power Four opponent with a winning record.
The Cougars showed significant improvement against Duquesne, particularly in the running game and on special teams. Washington State rushed for 316 yards, had two 100-yard rushers and returned two punts for touchdowns in the victory, but those numbers came against a winless FCS foe that hasn’t competed with anyone so far this year.
Now, the Cougars will face a much more experienced Arizona team that brings one of the nation's most experienced quarterbacks to Pullman. What should fans be watching as Moore’s squad seeks a win over a Power Four foe?
Mariners’ Late Rally Falls Short in 7-5 Loss to Angels
Having been eliminated from playoff contention, the Seattle Mariners put their pride on the line but came up short against the division-rival Los Angeles Angels in a 7-5 defeat on Friday. After falling behind 6-0 early, Seattle stormed back to make the game interesting but could not overcome the lead it had spotted its opponent.
Left-hander Reid Detmers is having a career year with a 3.47 ERA across 179 innings, and he dealt against a Seattle team that has struggled against lefties all season. The M’s also decided to rest veterans J.P. Crawford and Cal Raleigh, inherently limiting the offense.
Starter Bryce Miller had another up-and-down outing that was indicative of his season. Some innings, he looked like a superstar. In others, he looked like a deer in headlights.
The young rookies continued to look competent against major league pitching, providing hope that they might make the roster out of spring training next year.
What stood out from the final Friday night game of the season?
Jess Fishlock Scores Stellar Brace, Passes Rapinoe for Reign Scoring Record in Key Win
SEATTLE, Wash. — It was the grit-fest Laura Harvey thought it would be.
The Seattle Reign coach watched as her squad battled the expansion Boston Legacy at Lumen Field on Saturday, just a few precious points out of the NWSL Playoffs with five games remaining, as each confrontation was loaded with physicality.
The Legacy, third-to-last in the table, had notched a 3-0 win over the high-flying Washington Spirit just 12 days prior, punching above their weight by imposing their physical will on teams that appeared to overlook them.
But the Reign were ready. Headlined by the decision to start 39-year-old club legend Jess Fishlock in her final season, the Reign dished back the physicality by using a controlled press to dominate Boston all night, allowing the Legacy to have the ball around 60% of the time.
Then came the issue of scoring.
Fishlock, not as spry as she once was, has been a scorer before anything at this advanced stage of her career. Harvey was set to start the usual central attacking midfielder, a younger Sally Menti in her first season playing the position, but Fishlock wowed all week at training, by Harvey's account. She eschewed her usual super-sub position to play a starting role.
And in the 23rd minute, the Reign faithful got to see what had given Harvey the confidence to start the veteran.
Big Ten Picks: Will The Real Huskies Stand Up Saturday Against Minnesota?
We’ll find out a lot about Big Ten teams this week, after most played Charmin-soft nonconference schedules.
Fifteen of the 18 teams will open their conference seasons this week, including 3-0 Washington. The Huskies host Minnesota (2-1) in a battle of teams with much to prove after underwhelming nonconference slates.
This felt like an easy one to place in the Huskies win column before the season began, but Washington enters the game with a lot of questions on the offensive side of the ball after narrow wins over Washington State and Utah State prior to last week’s domination of a struggling FCS Eastern Washington program.
3 Positives, Negatives From Storm’s 2026 Season
The Seattle Storm’s 2026 season has come to an end, and it wasn’t a campaign that will be well-remembered in franchise history — at least not for winning reasons.
Seattle finished 8-36 overall, losing the most games in one season by any team in WNBA history (44-game season only began in 2025) and winning the fewest games since the Storm’s first-ever season in 2000 (6-26 overall).
On the surface, those statistics make it seem like it was all doom and gloom for the Storm in a lost season. But it’s surprisingly the opposite heading into 2027, as this was intentionally a rebuilding year with a new young core of players who will make up the franchise's future.
There were still positives for the Storm in a season where they were far from competitive and consistently fell below expectations. However, as expected, there were also plenty of negatives.
Seahawks Injury Report: Sam Darnold Set to Return, Safety Spot Short-Handed vs. Commanders
After missing one game with a glute injury and returning to practice this week, Sam Darnold will be back under center for the Seattle Seahawks when they hit the road for their first East coast trip of the 2026 season to face the Washington Commanders, but they will be without one of their biggest stars on defense.
Listed as a full participant on Thursday and Friday after being limited on Wednesday, Darnold successfully ramped up his activity as the week progressed without any setbacks, paving the way for the Seahawks to be comfortable with him returning to the lineup. Coach Mike Macdonald confirmed the Pro Bowl quarterback would suit up in Landover after a strong week.
“He’s been really positive and feels great, looks great. We’re rolling,” Macdonald said, jokingly adding with a smile, “It’s a medical miracle.”
Analysis: Takeaways One Week Into Kraken Training Camp
Only a week after camp opened, the Seattle Kraken are already closing in on the end of their brief preseason slate. They completed two games last weekend, winning both of the matchups against the Canucks and Flames, before defeating Calgary again 4-3 on Thursday night at Climate Pledge Arena.
What have we learned about Lane Lambert’s squad in year two so far? Who has made the biggest impression? Let’s discuss three takeaways after a week of camp and three preseason contests:
Upstart youngsters get reassigned
Ty Nelson is making it increasingly difficult to ignore him. The 23-year-old defenseman scored in both of Seattle’s preseason games last weekend, including a goal in Sunday’s 4-2 victory over Calgary. But the goals are only part of what has made Nelson stand out. The problem for Nelson? Seattle has a crowded blue line, and the Kraken ultimately reassigned him to Coachella Valley following the weekend.
Outplayed for Two Periods, Kraken Storm Back for 4-3 Shootout Preseason Win vs. Flames
Final score notwithstanding, the Seattle Kraken were largely outplayed by the Calgary Flames’ AHL roster in their third preseason game on Thursday night. But a third period comeback allowed the home team to squeak out a 4-3 victory.
Even in a win, the Kraken were comfortably outshot 35-26 and had two players ejected. In total, there was 69 penalty minutes assessed in the game, but hockey can be a weird sport and despite the shot discrepancy not going in their favor, they finished on a strong note to erase a 3-1 deficit.
As opposed to the Flames, who more resembled the Calgary Wranglers, the Kraken iced their likely opening night roster. The only difference would be the fourth line of Curtis Douglas, Oscar Fisker-Mølgaard, and Ben Meyers making way for Jacob Melanson, Frederick Gadureau, and Ryan Winterton. The top-nine featured Matty Beniers with Jared McCann and Mackie Samoskevich, Chandler Stephenson alongside Jordan Eberle and Bobby McMann, and Berkly Catton centering Shane Wright and Kaapo Kakko. The defense was as expected.
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