Commanders Hold Off Seahawks 33-31; Panthers Offense Struggles vs Browns

Marcus Mariota and Washington's passing attack survived Seattle's pass rush in a 33-31 home win, while Bryce Young's early-down efficiency slid for a third straight week.

Yahoo Sports fantasy analyst Chris Allen reviewed Sunday's Week 3 NFL slate and found two offenses heading in opposite directions. Washington pushed the ball downfield through rough weather and a fierce Seattle pass rush to win its home opener, while Carolina's passing game splintered against Cleveland.

The Commanders beat the Seahawks 33-31 in Landover. Video of nasty pregame conditions circulated widely before kickoff, but Allen wrote that the in-game weather was manageable and that Washington kept attacking through the air rather than leaning on the run.

Seattle entered the weekend with top-10 marks in pressure rate and passing yards allowed, and only Jacksonville had recorded a higher interception rate. The Seahawks pressured Marcus Mariota on 54.3% of his dropbacks, yet the veteran quarterback still posted the fifth-best EPA per dropback among the 20 passers to face Seattle since the start of last season. His average depth of target was also the highest against the Seahawks of any quarterback this year, a group that includes Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye.

Washington finished at a positive pass rate over expectation, plus-0.3%, for the first time this season. Terry McLaurin led the receiving corps with a 30.0% target rate, a 43.0% air-yard share and a 29.0% target rate per route run, with Stefon Diggs behind him at 23.3%, 16.0% and 25.9%. Allen wrote that McLaurin was the answer whenever Mariota faced duress, while Diggs created several short down-and-distance situations in the second half. With the toughest matchup behind them, he expects the setup to hold while offensive coordinator David Blough calls plays and until Jayden Daniels returns.

Seattle's offense ran through Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who caught 10 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. His target shares through three weeks read 45.8%, 42.3% and 31.1%, and he has drawn nine targets per game whether the Seahawks were controlling the game or trailing. Allen also noted Seattle's pass rate over expectation climbed to plus-10.4%, a trend that leaves running back Jadarian Price with almost no work as a receiver.

Expectations had been building in Carolina after Bryce Young's progress over the first two weeks and some early cracks in Cleveland's secondary, with one Yahoo colleague projecting Tetairoa McMillan as a WR1 against the Browns. The Panthers' biggest play of the game instead was a 31-yard connection from Young to Brycen Tremayne.

Tremayne set a career high with six targets, though he was hardly alone in the workload. Darren Waller led Carolina with eight targets and a 19.0% target rate, followed by Tremayne (six, 14.3%), John Metchie III (five, 11.9%) and McMillan (five, 11.9%). Chuba Hubbard, Tommy Tremble and Jalen Coker drew four targets apiece, and even the Panthers' second tight end saw a few looks. Coker left in the second quarter with an injury but said afterward the issue is not a long-term one.

Young's early-down production has declined for three consecutive weeks, with EPA per dropback falling from 0.49 to 0.22 to 0.04 and passing success rate from 60.0% to 42.3% to 44.4%. His average depth of target has dropped from 9.6 to 9.3 to 4.8 yards. Against Cleveland he also absorbed two sacks and threw an interception on third down. Allen concluded that with Coker exiting early and McMillan drifting toward the middle of the pack, there is not yet enough evidence to say what Carolina's real offense looks like.