Commanders’ run defense became hidden engine behind stunning Seahawks win

There aren't enough game balls in stock to reward every individual who delivered the goods when the Washington Commanders somehow shocked the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in Week 3.

So how about one game ball for a forgotten unit that went from longtime soft spot to an underrated strength that powered an epic upset?

The Commanders' run defense did the heavy lifting during the win at Northwest Stadium. Multiple run stuffs on early downs left returning Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold facing 3rd-and-8 or more five times.

Commanders' defensive linemen owned the running lanes against the Seahawks

Those situations were perfect for the blitz-heavy scheme of Commanders' defensive coordinator Daronte Jones. He was free to dial up enough pressure to keep Darnold and his receivers out of sync in key moments and just about protect a still-shaky Washington secondary.

Everybody did their part for Washington's run defense, but let's celebrate a few notable heroes.

Disrupting the Seahawks' ground attack relied on players like outside linebacker Odafe Oweh setting hard edges, but the Commanders' interior linemen were the true stars.

They were most responsible for the defense registering "three TFLs in run game and held them to 2 or fewer 58% of the time. Stopped SEA for 1 or fewer yards on 8 of 17 attempts," per Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan.

The "big-time performance up front" was keyed by nose tackle Tim Settle Jr. He attracted and held numerous double teams, making the middle a no-go area for Seattle's backs looking to exploit their familiar cutback runs.

Commanders' trench dominance unleashed Daronte Jones' true vision

Taking away a cutback lane created the first big play for the Commanders' defense. It happened when Settle pushed and split a double team at the line of scrimmage.

Big No. 97 forced Seahawks' rookie Jadarian Price to continue moving laterally. He was soon engulfed by Javon Kinlaw, equally impressive on the day, allowing Sonny Styles to start his breakout performance by forcing a fumble Settle recovered.

The play not only snapped an unwanted streak of the Commanders not forcing a turnover. It also gave Marcus Mariota and the offense the short field they needed to take an early lead on a six-yard touchdown pass to running back Rachaad White.

Commanders' defensive linemen pushing the pile and forcing Seahawks' running backs sideways became a familiar theme. The same combination helped rookie Joshua Josephs take Emanuel Wilson down behind the line of scrimmage late in the second quarter.

This time, versatile defensive lineman Charles Omenihu put a blocker on skates. Omenihu stood up Seattle right tackle Abraham Lucas and muscled him into the backfield.

Commanders' improved run defense has not happened by accident

Lucas' 6-foot-6 and 322-pound frame blocking his path forward meant Wilson had to continue moving sideways. He was easy pickings when Josephs slipped a block and made the play.

Defensive linemen moving blockers where they don't want to go, so linebackers can get downhill and make tackles, is the basis for any stout run defense. The Commanders are developing that quickly, and it's giving Jones more license to indulge his blitzing tendencies.

Jones' whole system is designed to put quarterbacks into pass-first situations. Then he can overload the front and send blitzing defenders through multiple gaps.

The approach works best when an offense has to spread the field with more receivers and deny its front five blockers additional bodies for support. Just like the Seahawks had to do on all those third-and-longs.

Those situations almost backfired for the Commanders because Darnold still shredded their secondary. His primary targets, wide receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, along with tight ends AJ Barner and Eric Saubert, got free with ease.

Jones knew he couldn't rely on struggling cornerbacks, so he made the blitz the Commanders' best form of pass defense. The pressure forced enough errant decisions from Darnold to keep the Commanders ahead where it counted.

This was the first real glimpse of how the Commanders' defense is supposed to operate under Jones. It was all made possible by Settle, Kinlaw, Omenihu, Daron Payne, and Shy Tuttle owning those running lanes.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow