Washington Football Team vs. Seahawks Week 15 preview, score prediction
Washington defense vs. Seattle offense
Defensively, Washington’s chances of competing with Seattle are much better. The Seahawks have a strong offense and it will be tough for Washington to completely stop them. That said, there certainly is a way to do it.
This year, more than ever, Russell Wilson has struggled when under pressure. He is on pace to be sacked 49 times, a number that would be the second-highest mark in his career. Washington’s pass rush has come on of late and they clearly have the talent needed to get after Wilson.
In this contest, they’ll need Chase Young and Montez Sweat to be at their best off the edge. The duo are freak athletes and can contain Wilson and his scrambling ability. If they can keep him in the pocket, he won’t be able to make as many off-script plays, especially if Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen can collapse the middle of the defense.
More from Commanders News
- What will Emmanuel Forbes bring to the Washington Commanders?
- Highlighting the best Commanders 2023 NFL Draft betting props
- 3 late Commanders rumors drawing buzz ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft
- 4 bold predictions for the Commanders 2023 NFL Draft
- Commanders News: Chase Young trade, draft day, CB riser and Sam Howell
The weakness on Seattle’s line appears to be the right tackle spot, as they haven’t been healthy there in recent weeks. Jamarco Jones may be able to play there this week, but even if he does, that should be the focal point for edge pressure. Look for Jack Del Rio to use Young and Sweat interchangeably on that side to keep the Seahawks off balance.
Elsewhere, containing Chris Carson and the Seahawks’ physical running game won’t be easy. The Seahawks are alternating reps between Carson and Carlos Hyde, so the two power backs will be rested and ready to fight for yards. Again, this is a big spot for Payne and Allen. If they can limit the running game and force Wilson to be one-dimensional, they’ll have a chance to pressure him, much like they did against Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers.
Also, Jon Bostic and Cole Holcomb will need to be ready to help often in the run game early to slow it down. Even Kam Curl’s performance in that aspect will matter. If Washington can slow down the backs for Seattle, Wilson will have to be the one that beats them. He’s more than capable of doing that, but the pressure would be ratcheted up a bit.
With that said, the most difficult part of this game will be containing the Seahawks’ passing attack. DK Metcalf is an absolute beast and an athletic freak. Washington doesn’t have a player that can match up well with him in coverage. They’ll need to double him and may opt to use Ronald Darby and a safety on him with Kendall Fuller covering Tyler Lockett. They could also flip the roles of the two corners.
Either way though, they can’t let anyone matchup with Metcalf in single coverage. He’s simply too big, fast, and strong to be left open, so whoever is in coverage with him, be it Darby, Fuller, and whoever else is asked to help, will need to do what they can to make his life difficult. That will be easier said than done.
Washington can find success on defense. Containing Metcalf and making sure Wilson is uncomfortable under pressure should be their two biggest goals. While this it doable, completely shutting down the Seahawks doesn’t seem likely, so expect Seattle to get some points in this matchup.