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Washington needed a win. Marcus Mariota gave the Commanders a path to a win against the defending Super Bowl champions.
Starting in place of Jayden Daniels, Mariota threw three touchdowns without an interception in Sunday's 33-31 upset of the Seattle Seahawks. His final contribution did not come through the air. Facing third-and-7 with Seattle hoping for another possession, Mariota scrambled nine yards to keep the ball and close out the game.
The Commanders improved to 1-2. An 0-3 start was on the table against a Seattle team that moved the ball for 437 yards and got four touchdown passes from Sam Darnold. Washington produced 258 yards, but made its opportunities count. Mariota completed 19 of 31 passes for 183 yards and took only two sacks against a difficult Seahawks defense. Washington also turned Seattle mistakes into short fields. Linebacker Kain Medrano returned a fourth-quarter interception for a touchdown, providing points that proved essential when the Seahawks pushed back.
Washington got the finish it needed
Seattle outgained Washington by 179 yards and had 28 first downs to the Commanders' 17. Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught two touchdowns and piled up 128 receiving yards. The Seahawks had ample production to win. The Commanders had the cleaner answer in the decisive moments. They scored 10 points off short-field turnovers, got a defensive touchdown and trusted Mariota to make the last play rather than give the ball back.
Commanders QB Marcus Mariota received a $200K bonus for Washington's 33-31 win over the Seahawks 💰
Mariota receives $200K every time the Commanders win and he plays in at least 60% of the snaps.
Sunday was Mariota's first game with at least three touchdown passes and no interceptions since Week 4 of the 2019 season. He did not need a huge passing total to change Washington's outlook. One timely scramble finished the job.
MORE: Drake London posts career night as Falcons finally unleash offense against Packers
Looking at Week four
In Week four, the Washington Commanders will take on the Indianapolis Colts in London. Seattle, after their first loss of the season will head back home and take on the winless Los Angeles Chargers.
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