LANDOVER, Md. — Sam Darnold set a Seahawks record by completing his first 17 passes and let the whole nation know he is a legitimate MVP candidate. But the story is bigger than him.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba had eight receptions for 129 yards and, like his signal-calling teammate, alerted America that he is one of the best players in the NFL. But the story is bigger than him, too.
Related seahawks 38, commanders 14
Seattle linebacker Connor O’Toole falls on the Jaylin Lane fumble in the second quarter. The Seattle Seahawks played the Washington Commanders in NFL Football Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, at Northwest Stadium, in Landover, MD. 231449
What the Seahawks have demonstrated through their first eight games is that they are a whole lot more than a sneaky playoff team with a first-round-upset ceiling. They’ve shown that the title they are capable of winning goes beyond the NFC West.
The chatter going into Seattle’s 38-14 win over the Commanders (3-6) Sunday night was what the organization might do at the trade deadline. Will they deal away established commodities for the prospect of improving today? My advice: Go big if the opportunity is there. This team can win it all.
Sunday’s shellacking was the finest performance of the season for a Seahawks squad that has been scorching since its Week 1 loss to San Francisco. Any thought that said defeat was a harbinger of what was to come has been obliterated.
The only blip for Seattle (6-2) since the Niners game was a 38-35 loss to Tampa Bay in early October, when the Seahawks were playing sans starting defensive backs Julian Love, Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen (hurt mid-game). The other six contests have been a buffet of butt-kicking.
This probably isn’t what most people expected after Seattle parted ways with quarterback Geno Smith and receiver DK Metcalf last offseason. The offense appeared en route to a substantial downgrade with Darnold and receiver Cooper Kupp replacing that duo at a much cheaper price.
Instead the Seahawks have improved markedly in the points department — averaging 6.8 more this season than last. They have improved on the other side of the ball as well, allowing 2.8 points fewer this season than last. Their +81 point differential is the third most in the NFL, and none of it seems the least bit fluky.
“Believe it or not, there’s going to be room for growth,” said second-year Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, whose team led 31-7 at halftime and sits tied with the Rams atop the division. “We’re going to watch the tape and keep growing together.”
This next “film” session for the Seahawks is going to feel more like “movie” session. The highlights will vastly overshadow the mistakes.
Darnold had maybe the best first half in Seahawks quarterback history — completing all 16 of his passes over the first two quarters for 282 yards and four touchdowns. He finished 21 of 24 for 330 yards…although he did add one interception to his statline.
Sam came into the game ranked first among QBs by analytics site Pro Football Focus and likely separated himself further Sunday night. He has proven himself to be a clear upgrade over Smith — averaging an NFL high 9.6 yards per attempt.
Said Macdonald after the game: “Sam’s execution right now is just ridiculous.”
It doesn’t hurt that his prime target is Smith-Njigba, who leads the NFL with 948 receiving yards and is on pace to break Calvin Johnson’s single-season record of 1,964. Some might have wondered whether JSN would be as productive as he was last year with no Metcalf to draw away defenders. Turns out he has morphed into the best pass-catcher in football — and everyone running routes for Seattle is benefiting.
“(Smith-Njigba) forces the defense to do things that they might not be super comfortable doing,” said Darnold, who threw touchdown passes to JSN, Tory Horton (twice) and Cody White on Sunday. “Everything that he does opens up other guys.”
Perhaps lost in the offensive dominance is the fact that Macdonald — hired for his defensive mind — has transformed Seattle’s “D.” The Seahawks were 30th in total defense in 2023 but 14th last year, when Mike took over. This year, they are 11th in total defense and, more significantly, fifth in points allowed per game.
Granted, they still haven’t beaten the 49ers (6-3), and they haven’t yet played the Rams (6-2). There’s some championship talk in this column, but if the Seahawks can’t squash those conference foes, there might not be a postseason at all.
The way things are looking right now, though, it could be a very eventful January for the Hawks. They aren’t slipping by opponents so much as they’re smoking them.
Where could they upgrade at the deadline? There aren’t a whole lot of areas, really. Perhaps right guard or a few other spots in the trenches. What matters is they are as strong as possible going into the second half of the schedule. And general manager John Schneider has a reputation for making midseason improvements (see: Quandre Diggs, Ernest Jones IV, Leonard Williams and Duane Brown).
Sunday, the country got a peek at what the Seahawks are capable of. Scary thing is, that might not have even been their peak.
Matt Calkins: mcalkins@seattletimes.com. Matt Calkins has been a sports columnist with the Seattle Times since 2015, where he has covered national title games, got a Seahawk to design his apartment and once extracted a two-word quote from Marshawn Lynch.