Washington upset Seattle with the help of two interceptions and a tone-setting fumble recovery.
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The fact that the Commanders gave up 31 points and 437 yards Sunday belies another: The defense made a number of big plays that swung the game Washington’s way in a two-point win over the Seattle Seahawks.
A unit that was among the few in the NFL to not register a turnover in the first two games of the season — both Washington losses — notched three Sunday. None was bigger than backup linebacker Kain Medrano’s late interception return for a touchdown that provided the last of Washington’s 33 points and sent the Northwest Stadium crowd into a frenzy.
“Score,” Medrano said simply when asked what was on his mind after he stepped in front of a short Sam Darnold pass and took it 50 yards to the end zone. “Close game. Got to have a way to get some momentum back, and I think that’s what did it.”
Earlier in the second half, rookie linebacker Sonny Styles grabbed an interception after a Darnold pass deflected off the helmet of onrushing defensive tackle Tim Settle Jr. and bounced high in the air. When Styles leaped for the pick and snared it in a crowd, it was just one of many moments when he showed off the athleticism that helped make him the seventh pick in this year’s draft.
“Sonny knows ball, man,” Medrano said. “It’s nice to be out there playing with somebody that understands and has a good IQ for the game.”
Earlier, Styles sprinted downfield with Seattle running back Jadarian Price — a fellow first-rounder — and managed to swat away Darnold’s pass on a wheel route that could have been a big gain for the Seahawks.
Styles was also credited with a forced fumble, as was cornerback Amik Robertson, who punched the ball out of Price’s hands early in the first quarter. That one was recovered by Settle deep in Seahawks territory, leading to the game’s first score and a 7-0 Washington lead that may have helped instill confidence against the reigning Super Bowl champion.
Styles, Robertson and Medrano all noted after the game that forcing turnovers had been a point of emphasis during the week’s practices.
According to Styles, defensive coordinator Daronte Jones had a simple message: “We’ve got to get the ball.”
“Once one [turnover] turns into two, then turns into three,” Medrano said. “That momentum just kind of rolls.”
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A sixth-round pick last year who had seen the field sparingly during the first two weeks, Medrano was pressed into action after veteran linebacker Leo Chenal suffered a neck injury in the second quarter. The game was delayed for several minutes as trainers attended to Chenal and eventually called for him to be stretchered off the field. Chenal showed movement as he was wheeled to the tunnel, and Medrano said the team was “praying” for a good recovery.
Chenal’s injury left Washington’s linebacking corps all the thinner after Frankie Luvu missed his second straight game with a groin injury and Jordan Magee (hamstring), a top backup, started the season on injured reserve. That made the contributions of Styles and Medrano especially critical.
But even if Medrano is a backup on the depth chart, he saw his role Sunday as no more than what was expected.
“I think everybody prepares like they’re going to play, and that’s the best thing about this team,” Medrano said. “No matter what, we’ve got 53 guys that can go out there and ball.”
That depth also came in handy in the secondary, where the Commanders began the day without starting safety Nick Cross (internal injury) and cornerback Trey Amos (ankle). Much-maligned cornerback Mike Sainristil managed to stay out of trouble for the most part Sunday (in part by being kept off the field for large chunks of the game). And Robertson brought his intensity to a difference-making performance in a first half that Washington ended with a 17-10 lead.
Ultimately credited with six combined tackles (four solo), four passes defended and the forced fumble, Robertson helped set a tone for Washington. His contributions included knocking the ball away from Seattle’s Cooper Kupp on one key play and, later in the game, delivering a jarring tackle on the veteran wide receiver to force a punt.
After the game, Robertson described himself as the team’s “Energizer Bunny.”
“A guy that’s going to give it his all each and every time, compete and be feisty,” added the seventh-year cornerback, who signed with Washington this spring. “At the end of the day, we all can be great, if we match each other’s energy.”
Robertson said the Commanders were well aware, coming into Sunday’s game, that they hadn’t forced a turnover.
“That’s got to burn,” he said. “That’s got to give you that extra edge to be able to go out there and hawk the ball, because this defense is put together for that to happen.”
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