Whether it was Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold’s 17 straight completions against the Washington Commanders on Sunday night, Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s fourth-consecutive 100-yard receiving game, the defense’s four sacks on Jayden Daniels or the 38-14 blowout win, there is consensus that the Seahawks are one of the most dangerous teams in the league this season, on both sides of the ball.
Times reporter Bob Condotta gave all aspects of the team an ‘A’ grade in his Week 9 report card, aside from running back Kenneth Walker III, who still earned a B+.
“What is becoming one of the Seahawks’ biggest mantras as the 2025 season has developed is that their success is not dependent only on the 22 who make up their starting lineup, or the 53 who are on the active roster, but the 70 who comprise every player on the team, including the practice squad,” Condotta wrote.
The Seahawks (6-2), tied for first in the NFC West, has won six of their past seven games and extended the franchise record for consecutive road wins to 10.
Here’s what the national media had to say about the Seahawks following their Week 9 win over the Commanders.
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
The Ringer: Sam Darnold named a Week 9 ‘winner’
Steven Ruiz writes: “The numbers are preposterous: 0.83 EPA per play! A 75 percent success rate! 13.8 yards per dropback! Darnold took a flamethrower to Washington’s secondary in a 38-14 win that doubled as a throwing exhibition … It didn’t matter what kind of coverage Washington played — man or zone or a combination of the two — Darnold torched it. Dan Quinn could have invented a new genre of coverage, and it wouldn’t have worked given the way the Seahawks quarterback was seeing the field and throwing the football … Darnold is averaging 13 yards per dropback when using play-action, which leads the NFL. Darnold’s also producing on non-play-action attempts, which shows his progress as a dropback passer. He’s getting through his progressions quicker than ever, which has suppressed his sack rate this season … Darnold couldn’t miss in the first half against Washington. He threw for 290 yards and four touchdowns before throwing his first incomplete pass, which didn’t come until his 18th attempt of the game. It was an MVP-caliber performance. It’s still a bit hard to trust Darnold to keep this up all season and into the postseason, given his collapse down the stretch with the Vikings last year. But this version of Darnold is better than the one we saw in 2024. He’s more accurate, smarter with the football, and more efficient in the pocket. He’s also got the backing of a loaded supporting cast and a top defense. Seattle will keep on winning. If Darnold keeps producing, he’ll stick around in the MVP race for a while.”
Feels like good company. https://t.co/Fpe3iv6uSy
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) November 3, 2025
In NFL history, 4 QBs have done the following over their team's first 8 games of a season:
completed 70% of passes
thrown for 2000+ yards
thrown for 15+ TDs
taken fewer than 10 sacks
Those QBs are Tom Brady (2007), Peyton Manning (2009), Drew Brees (2018) & Sam Darnold (2025). pic.twitter.com/6rqP1iYXHk
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) November 3, 2025
Sam Darnold against the Commanders:
🔹8/10, 127 yards, 3 TD, INT against man coverage
🔹13/14, 203 yards, TD against zone coverage
He becomes the only QB in any game this season with 10+ attempts and 12+ yards per attempt against both coverage types.
Powered by @awscloud pic.twitter.com/LczAmHQzdw
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 3, 2025
Yahoo Sports: Saying Seahawks should have “realistic goals beyond just making the playoffs”
Frank Schwab writes: “The Seahawks are 6-2 after one of the more impressive team performances of the entire season. They play in a very tough NFC West, and are showing they are capable of winning it. The defense is excellent and Darnold is leading an explosive, balanced offense. Darnold isn’t just along for the ride either; he looks even better than last season, when he finished 10th in NFL MVP voting. Since the start of last season, Darnold’s teams are 20-5. He’ll eventually get proper acknowledgment for that. And after Sunday night, Seattle should be on everyone’s radar.”
SAM DARNOLD.
13/13
229 YARDS
4 TDs
158.3 PASSER RATING
NOT EVEN HALFTIME YET. pic.twitter.com/pfntjPLRTI
— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2025
First half in a nutshell pic.twitter.com/NnPzXj1oFM
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) November 3, 2025
CBS Sports: Seahawks earn ‘A’ grade for performance
John Breech writes: “Sam Darnold was good with the Vikings last year, and somehow, he might be even better with Seattle this year. The Seahawks blew this game open during a first half where Darnold completed 16 of 16 passes for 282 yards and four touchdowns. Darnold’s chemistry with Jaxon Smith-Njigba (8 catches for 129 yards) is off the charts at this point and there doesn’t seem to be any way to stop the duo. Not to be outdone, the Seahawks defense was equally impressive: They overpowered the Commanders offensive line to get four sacks on Jayden Daniels. In an NFC that is wide open this year, the Seahawks feel like one of the few teams in the conference that could actually win the Super Bowl.”
Complete team effort. pic.twitter.com/HVgLsrmqgm
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 3, 2025
Welcome to the end zone. pic.twitter.com/RG9kH0YaIS
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 3, 2025
NFL.com: Jaxon Smith-Njigba ranks sixth in Top 10 players who will shape the second half of the season
Jeffri Chadiha writes: “It was hard to predict Smith-Njigba being this impressive this season. He was good last year — when he had 100 catches for 1,130 yards — but he wasn’t taking over games the way he is now. Smith-Njigba now has six 100-yard efforts in eight games. He’s been on a flat-out heater in the last four contests, with 32 receptions for 546 yards and three touchdowns. There were a lot of questions about how quarterback Sam Darnold would perform in Seattle without the presence of a star like he had in Minnesota with All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson. The answer appears to be that Seattle would watch Smith-Njigba take his own star turn. As much as these Seahawks’ success has been defined by Darnold’s presence and the rise of a dominant defense, the emergence of its third-year wide receiver has been just as critical. Smith-Njigba actually had 46 percent of his team’s receiving yards heading into Week 9, which was the highest share in the NFL. That production is huge for Seattle because the NFC West is shaping up to be a cage match in the second half. Seattle needs Smith-Njigba to continue being at his best to end up on top.”
weekly route clinic from @jaxon_smith1 pic.twitter.com/4UcsAtyw2f
— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2025
Jaxson Smith-Njigba has the most 100 yard receiving games in franchise history pic.twitter.com/m7RJWhkwV2
— Seahawks Insider (@SeahawksCntrl12) November 3, 2025
Sports Illustrated: Saying Seahawks are “looking like Super Bowl contenders”
Matt Verderame says: “[John] Schneider’s bold [offseason] moves add up to a Seattle team that not only has legitimate aspirations of a playoff run but perhaps making the NFC go through the Pacific Northwest come January. On Sunday night, the Seahawks thrashed the Commanders in front of a national audience. Darnold was great. Macdonald’s defense was terrific. Smith-Njigba shined. The core of Seattle, something which looked so different only a year ago, has the makings of a contender.”
10 wins and counting. pic.twitter.com/KtdvWtdbxj
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 3, 2025
🚨🚨SUPERSTAR🚨🚨
Seattle #Seahawks QB Sam Darnold showed that he is a top 10 quarterback in the league and an MVP candidate.
Darnold was elite tonight:
• 21 for 24
• 17 in a row: Franchise record
• 87.5%
• 330 passing yards
• Four touchdowns
• 141 passer rating
• W
🤯 pic.twitter.com/61j0hZfWhE
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) November 3, 2025
Sophia Vesely: svesely@seattletimes.com.