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Two days after Commanders General Manager Adam Peters offered hope that franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels could return sooner than originally expected, backup QB Marcus Mariota helped deliver a season-saving win over the Super Bowl champion Seahawks.

Washington’s improbable 33-31 triumph in its home opener snapped Seattle’s 12-game winning streak. It was the Commanders’ first win as a home underdog of at least 7.5 points since a Taylor Heinicke-led victory over Tom Brady and the reigning Super Bowl champion Buccaneers in 2021.

(Props to the Commanders’ social media team, which was cooking like first-year offensive coordinator David Blough after an upset few saw coming.)

Mariota had plenty of help from an opportunistic defense that forced three turnovers, which led to 20 Washington points, but the offense sealed the Commanders’ first win with a pair of clutch third-down conversions.

Washington was 1 for 11 on third down before Rachaad White ran for 19 yards on third and nine from the Commanders’ 34-yard line just after the two-minute warning. ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky and former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin praised Blough for the play, which featured key blocks by Lucas Patrick and Nick Allegretti.

With Washington facing third and seven at the Seattle 44 moments later, Blough called a zone read. Mariota kept the ball and ran nine yards to set up victory formation.

“I thought it was just a good wrinkle at the end,” Mariota said. “Coach Blough did a great job of calling that and giving me a shot.”

“Hats off to Washington,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “I thought they played a great game, had a great plan.”

Next up: A trip to London to face the 1-2 Indianapolis Colts.

Box Score | Highlights

A look at the good (Hail!) and bad (Fail!) from Sunday’s win.

Hail: Turnovers

The Commanders were one of three teams without a takeaway through two weeks. They registered their first three-turnover game in the regular season since Week 6 of the 2023 campaign.

Fail: Penalties

The Commanders won despite being flagged nine times for 57 yards, including an illegal formation penalty in the first half that nullified a 48-yard touchdown run by Bill Croskey-Merritt.

Hail: Marcus Mariota

After being named a season-long captain last week, the 32-year-old completed 19 of 31 passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns against one of the league’s stingiest defenses.

Fail: Injuries

Medrano was only in the game because linebacker Leo Chenal suffered a scary neck injury in the second quarter that left him hospitalized. The Commanders’ defense was already without linebacker Frankie Luvu, safety Nick Cross and cornerback Trey Amos.

Hail: Terry McLaurin

Scary Terry, who was limited to four catches for 64 yards on 13 targets through two games, had a team-high six grabs for 77 yards and his first touchdown of the season. His fourth-down catch on a slant route early in the fourth quarter set up a Drew Stevens field goal that gave Washington the lead for good.

Fail: Pass defense

Washington was dominant against the run for a third consecutive week, limiting Seattle to 44 yards rushing on 18 carries, but the Commanders’ secondary remains a cause for concern. Darnold passed for 379 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had a game-high 10 catches for 128 yards.

Perhaps not surprisingly, no one correctly predicted the fourth 33-31 win in franchise history. We’ll try again next week.

WSH 27, SEA 24 | 4:09 4Q | 2nd and 15 at the 50

With the Seahawks driving for the potential go-ahead score, Medrano stepped in front of Darnold’s pass intended for tight end A.J. Barner and took it to the house.

“I just happened to run right underneath the check-down route,” said the 2025 sixth-round pick, whose only snaps before Chenal went down came on special teams. “I saw green grass and had to show off my wide receiver skills.”

“He made a really good play, but yeah, that’s a ball I’ve got to throw away,” said Darnold, who was pressured by Odafe Oweh.

🏀 Dream 92, Mystics 77 | Highlights | Box

The Mystics took a five-point lead into halftime of their best-of-three first-round series against Atlanta, but the Dream outscored Washington 29-12 in the third quarter to seize control at home. Sonia Citron led the Mystics with 25 points in defeat, while Kiki Iriafen had 15 points and 14 rebounds and Shakira Austin added 12 points and 16 rebounds. Game 2 is Wednesday in D.C.

⚾ Nationals 6, Mets 4 | Highlights | Box

Andres Chaparro hit a pair of home runs and Washington ended its season with a win at home.

🏈 Eagles at Bears, 8:15 p.m., ABC and ESPN

⚡ Quick Hits

Sept. 28, 2014: On the final day of the regular season, Jordan Zimmermann threw the first no-hitter in Nationals history. Steven Souza Jr., who entered the game as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning, made an incredible diving catch on Christian Yelich’s line drive into the gap for the final out of Washington’s 1-0 win over the Marlins.

TRIVIA
Before Sunday, how many consecutive games had Washington gone without winning the turnover battle?

A. 7
B. 9
C. 11
D. 14

BEFORE AND AFTER
The phrase below contains two connected clues that share a common word. Check out this example from “Jeopardy!”: Golf short game practice area served up in the title of a Dr. Seuss book = Putting Green Eggs and Ham.

Vicki Sue Robinson’s disco hit covered by Gloria Estefan in 1994 and a classic Jules Verne novel featuring Phileas Fogg.

Find the answers below.

The answer to today’s trivia question is D. 14. According to ESPN Research, it was the longest active drought in the NFL and tied for the longest drought in team history. And now it’s mercifully over.

The answer to today’s before and after puzzle is Turn the Beat Around the World in 80 Days.

Happy victory Monday. Sing it!