Oct 5, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (22) runs past Los Angeles Chargers defense at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Commanders' biggest strength faces its toughest test yet

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By David Harrison | Last updated Nov 2, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Entering Week 9, the Washington Commanders have the third-best rushing offense in the NFL, but that part of their game hasn’t been as good as that statistical ranking might suggest.

Over the course of the last month, the Commanders have dropped from having the best rushing attack in the league to their current standing. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury hasn’t been able to crack the code against the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, and Kansas City Chiefs' defense, who each have a lower-ranked rush defense than this weekend’s opponent.

This weekend, Washington hosts the Seattle Seahawks, who bring in their No. 1 overall rushing defense in both yards per game and yards per carry, and have yet to allow even one team to have a 100-yard rushing day against them in seven tries.

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Key Matchup of the Game

According to Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame, that is the key matchup in this weekend’s game that will ultimately decide which team gets the win.

“Washington expects to have star quarterback Jayden Daniels back on Sunday night, but will be without Pro Bowl receiver Terry McLaurin. With that in mind, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury should be leaning on the legs of both Daniels and rookie back Jacory Croskey-Merritt to move the ball,” Verderame says.

“On the season, Washington ranks second in yards per carry (5.2) and third in rushing yards per game (137.8). To that end, Croskey-Merritt has 402 yards on 4.9 YPC, while Daniels amassed 891 ground yards and six touchdowns in 2024 before being limited to 211 yards in five games this season.

“Conversely, Seattle is holding opponents to a league-low 3.3 YPC and 75.7 rushing yards per game. If the Seahawks can maintain those figures against Washington, which only ran for 60 yards on 3.0 YPC against the Chiefs on Monday night, it’s going to be a long game for the home side.”

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A Mismatch on Both Sides

The Commanders can’t simply see the Seahawks’ rush defense coming and abandon their ground game, essentially doing the defense’s job for them, because passing isn’t going to be much easier.

Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Pass?

While Seattle allows 230 passing yards per game, it surrenders only 5.84 yards per pass, the sixth-best mark in the NFL. The reason for the yardage collection is the fact that teams are usually playing from behind against them, leading to more attempts.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks' defense ranks eighth in interception rate, 11th in sack rate, and boasts the league’s fourth-best red zone defense.

For a Washington team that has chased consistency all season, only to be evaded, finding success in a must-win scenario in Week 9 is going to require that it continues the pursuit, but finally catches up to its own potential.