It’s 5 o’clock somewhere…
The 5 O’Clock Club
The 5 o’clock club is published from time to time during the season, and aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isn’t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.
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Previewing Washington’s 14 opponents of the ‘26 season — one at a time
In 2026, the Commanders will, like every other team in the NFL, play 17 games against 14 opponents. With the amount of roster change that NFL teams undergo annually along with the unusually large number of head coach and coordinator changes in 2026, it seems useful to spend some time to review each of Washington’s regular season opponents.
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Dan Quinn and his Commanders will follow up a pair of NFC East road games to open the season with the first Washington home game of the 2026 season in Week 3.
Week 3 Preview: Seattle Seahawks at Washington Commanders
Date: September 28, 2026, 1 p.m. ET
Location: Northwest Stadium in Landover Maryland
After road games in Weeks 1 & 2 against a pair of hated division rivals, the Commanders will return home in Week 3 to face the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks in Week 3. No easy games to open the 2026 season! A lot could change by the time these two teams meet, but it’s no surprise that the early betting lines favor the Seahawks on the road against the Commanders.
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The All-Time Series Numbers
While these two teams wouldn’t seem to be natural rivals, they have played one another 24 times since Seattle joined the league as an expansion team in the mid-1970s. Washington leads the overall series 13-11-0, and the burgundy & gold has won 8 of 15 games played in this millennium.
The Seahawks have prevailed in the postseason, however. The two teams met in the playoffs three times between the 2005 and 2012 seasons, with Seattle sweeping the Redskins by winning all 3 games — none by less than 10 points.
Interestingly, Washington has been more successful as the road team in recent years, losing 4 out of the last 5 games played in Landover while winning 3 of the last 5 games played in Seattle.
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Commanders quarterback play and health has been an issue at times
I’m sure everyone will remember the gruesome-looking play in which Jayden Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow in the fourth quarter of the Week 9 game against the Seattle Seahawks at Northwest Stadium.
A similarly gruesome-looking knee injury ended the rookie season of Robert Griffin III against the Seahawks in the playoff game at Landover in January 2013.
In the three Seattle-Washington games played between those two injuries, Washington’s offense was led by Dwayne Haskins (2020), Taylor Heinicke (2021) and Sam Howell (2023), which may help explain the .250 win percentage under Ron Rivera and Dan Quinn.
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Hopefully, Jayden Daniels can put an end to this streak of quarterback infamy and injury with a complete and winning effort in Week 3.
Seattle’s starting quarterback is Sam Darnold. Not so long ago, that would have been a reason for many NFL fans to scoff, but Darnold has just finished back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons with the Vikings and Seahawks, and he has a shiny new championship ring.
Like last year, Darnold is backed up by Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe.
Seahawks 2026 Coaching Changes
*New to staff this season:
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Offensive Coordinator – Brian Fleury
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Offensive Line – John Benton
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Running Backs – Thomas Hammock
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Inside Linebackers – Zach Orr
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Quarterbacks – Tyson Prince
The Seahawks coaching staff changes could be significant. Sam Darnold will have both a new offensive coordinator and a new quarterback coach. Fleury comes from 7 seasons with the 49ers; Prince is a 4th year coach who has moved up quickly in Seattle after one year in the college ranks.
Add in John Benton’s promotion to senior offensive assistant & offensive line coach, and we could see a very different Seahawks offense in 2026. Fleury’s offensive scheme will be a highly structured, modern variant of the Shanahan-style West Coast offense, built on wide-zone running, heavy pre-snap motion, and calculated deep shots — which may sound familiar to fans who have been reading up on Commanders’ new offensive coordinator David Blough. Upon taking the job, Fleury declared that his unit would be “fast, violent, and aggressive in every way we possibly can” to pressure opponents both structurally and through variable tempo.
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Their first-round pick in the backfield, Jadarian Price from Notre Dame, will have a new running backs coach in Thomas Hammock.
One of the most underrated moves of the entire NFL offseason is also on this list, though, with the Seahawks adding former Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr as inside linebackers coach. The wealth of defensive knowledge between head coach Mike Macdonald and Orr should pay off handsomely for the Seahawks; a scary thought given that the Seahawks had the #1 defense in points-allowed in 2026.
Key statistical 2026 rankings
Offensive Rankings
Under coordinator Klint Kubiak, the offense was a top-tier scoring unit that prioritized high yards-per-play efficiency:
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Scoring Offense: 3rd overall (28.4 points per game)
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Total Offense: 7th overall (351.4 total yards per game)
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Offensive DVOA: 9th overall (9.2%)
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Passing DVOA: 5th overall (32.2%)
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Rushing DVOA: 13th overall (-2.2%)
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Yards Per Play: 2nd overall (5.6 yards per play)
Defensive Rankings
Head coach Mike Macdonald’s defense was statistically the best in the NFL, finishing as a top-10 historic defense in modern analytics:
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Scoring Defense: 1st overall (17.2 points allowed per game)
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Total Defense: 1st overall (285.8 yards allowed per game)
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Overall Defensive DVOA: 1st overall (-24.0% — ranked 8th all-time in NFL history)
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Passing Defense DVOA: 1st overall (-19.2%)
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Rushing Defense DVOA: 1st overall (-30.7%)
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Opponent Yards Per Play: 1st overall (4.4 yards allowed per play)
Roster Moves: Free Agency and the Draft
Key Free Agent Signings/Departures
* SIGNED IN FREE AGENCY
* DEPARTED IN FREE AGENCY
The Seahawks put a heavy emphasis on re-signing their own free agents this offseason, which gives them a short list of departures; nonetheless, they are all significant. Coby Bryant played 100% of the team’s defensive snaps in the Super Bowl, while Riq Woolen and Boye Mafe were contributors as well. Of course, Kenneth Walker was the Super Bowl MVP.
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Seattle did add former Commanders pass rusher in Dante Fowler Jr. to pair with DeMarcus Lawrence, and they used the draft to help maintain depth in the secondary that was key to their defensive success last year. Another element of that depth comes in the form of the free agent signing of former Washington CB Noah Igbinoghene, who may struggle to make the 53-man roster in Seattle.
As discussed above, their offensive core of Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, and Cooper Kupp will have a new rookie running back and new play-caller in Brian Fleury, replacing Klint Kubiak who parlayed winning a Super Bowl with this group into the head coaching job with the Raiders.
The 2026 NFL Draft
Round 1, No. 32: Jadarian Price (RB, Notre Dame)
Explosive runner and high-end kickoff returner; co-RB1 replacement for departed Kenneth Walker III. Should fit perfectly into Seattle’s outside-zone rushing scheme.
Round 2, No. 64: Bud Clark (S, TCU)
Experienced, highly competitive, versatile defensive ball hawk who will compete immediately at safety. Plays with a physical edge reminiscent of Devon Witherspoon.
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Round 3, No. 99: Julian Neal (CB, Arkansas)
Tall, physical corner (nearly 6’2″) who loves to hit and press receivers. He is a good candidate to step in as Seattle’s 3rd CB.
Round 5, No. 148: Beau Stephens (OG, Iowa)
Versatile 1st-team All-American; expected to push incumbent Anthony Bradford for the starting RG spot.
Round 6, No. 199: Emmanuel Henderson Jr. (WR, Kansas)
Speedy WR; valuable kickoff coverage and return experience. Depth and special teams.
Round 7, No. 236: Andre Fuller (CB, Toledo)
A safety-to-corner convert with good size and 4.49 speed. Depth and battle for one of the remaining CB spots.
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Round 7, No. 242: Deven Eastern (DT, Minnesota)
Experienced, durable interior lineman; started 39 college games. Will help restock and add youth to the Seahawks aging defensive line pipeline.
Round 7, No. 255: Michael Dansby (CB, Arizona)
Smaller, faster man-coverage CB; strong candidate for practice squad.
Betting Lines
Oddsmakers have established the visitors as the baseline favorite for this matchup.
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Point Spread: Seattle -3.5
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Game Total (Over/Under): 46.5 points
A 3.5-point spread is a massive one favoring the Seahawks on the road. The point total is set at 46.5, reflecting expectations of solid offensive output from both sides.
POLL QUESTION
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