Terry McLaurin revives familiar Week 3 trend to erase Commanders doubts

The Washington Commanders stunned the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks for their first win of 2026, led by Marcus Mariota at quarterback in place of the injured Jayden Daniels.

But star wide receiver Terry McLaurin's return-to-form performance made all the difference.

McLaurin's slow starts in recent years have been a broken record. It's generally taken him about three weeks to get going, but at age 31, it felt like this one might signal something more concerning for the two-time Pro Bowler.

Terry McLaurin's Week 3 trend continued with a dazzling display in the Commanders' upset win

This was Week 3. And Scary Terry was all the way back.

In 2024, McLaurin's second-team All-Pro campaign went into high gear against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3. Last year, after missing all offseason due to a contract holdout, he shook off some early rust in Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders, though he was also injured during the game.

This season, McLaurin had caught four passes for 64 receiving yards entering Sunday's contest. Against the Seahawks, he caught six passes for 77 yards and his first touchdown of the year, a highlight-reel contortion in the end zone in the third quarter.

Even with the additions of Stefon Diggs and third-round rookie Antonio Williams, McLaurin was the go-to guy. Washington was reminded just how valuable he is.

New offensive coordinator David Blough has made it a priority to get all of Washington's offensive weapons involved, as nine different Commanders caught at least one pass versus Seattle's defense. But when you need someone to make a play in a make-or-break situation, it's still McLaurin.

Terry McLaurin is still the alpha in Commanders' wide receiver room

In the fourth quarter, McLaurin caught back-to-back critical passes in a tie game: one to turn third-and-long into fourth-and-inches, and another to gain the first down. This ultimately put the Commanders in range for a go-ahead field goal, which gave them the lead they'd never relinquish.

Now that McLaurin has a lighter load to carry, it's probably not realistic to expect All-Pro-caliber production from the eighth-year veteran. But as his performance against the Seahawks showed, it's about more than just the numbers.

McLaurin is as trustworthy as they come in the big moments, and he can still give you a chunk play on a contested deep ball here and there. It's hard to overstate how critical his presence is to Washington's offense.

With McLaurin's three-year, $97 million contract lining up to give Washington a potential out next offseason, many fans had started to lose sight of his value. Not for the first time in a Week 3 game over his prolific career, the Ohio State product showed why he deserves to be a Commander for as long as he's still doing his thing.

McLaurin has officially arrived to the 2026 season. Now, maybe we can hold off on the "washed" talk.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow