Seahawks Turn Attention to Home Matchup With Winless Chargers After Streak Ends

Seattle's 12-game winning streak ended with a 33-31 loss at Washington, and the 2-1 Seahawks now turn to a Sunday home game against the winless Los Angeles Chargers.

The Seattle Seahawks' unbeaten start and long winning run ended at once on Sunday, when the Washington Commanders edged them 33-31 on the road. The defeat was Seattle's first since Nov. 16, halted a 12-game streak and left the reigning Super Bowl champions at 2-1 ahead of a Sunday home game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Ball security decided the outcome. Seattle's giveaways translated into 21 Washington points. Quarterback Sam Darnold, back in the lineup after a glute injury, was intercepted twice, including a return for a touchdown with 3:57 to play, the first pick-6 he has thrown in five years. Rookie running back Jadarian Price also lost a first-quarter fumble that the Commanders recovered.

Darnold's numbers were otherwise strong: 31 completions on 45 attempts for 379 yards and four touchdowns. He had been hurt on Seattle's opening possession of the season against New England, with backup Drew Lock finishing off a 13-10 win over the Patriots and then directing a 31-7 victory at Arizona. The club confirmed last Friday that Darnold would face Washington, and he said he felt fine going into the game.

Speaking afterward, Darnold said an offense cannot give the ball away the way his did and still expect to win, and he called the late interception simply a poor choice. Coach Mike Macdonald said the turnovers need to be examined to understand the decisions behind them, but added that his quarterback, on the whole, kept Seattle in the game.

The defense produced no takeaways in return. Reviewing the film, Macdonald described a blend of encouragement about the team Seattle can become and urgency about how far it still has to go, saying the issues are correctable and that it is early enough in the season to put them right.

Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba continued the form that made him the AP Offensive Player of the Year last season, when he set team records. He caught 10 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns against Washington, added a 14-yard completion of his own, and leads the NFL with 405 receiving yards and six touchdowns, two in each of Seattle's first three games.

The running game generated just 44 yards, only 19 of them after halftime. Kenneth Walker III remained sidelined, and while Zach Charbonnet could return to practice next week, he is still on the physically unable to perform list, with Week 5 the earliest he would likely be back. Macdonald offered no update Monday.

Tight end AJ Barner had his most productive game of the season with five catches for 69 yards, and the tight end group as a whole accounted for seven receptions and 105 yards after two quiet weeks. Price, meanwhile, fumbled for the second straight game and was limited to 15 yards on five carries plus a seven-yard reception; Macdonald said the rookie must protect the ball but that the staff will keep giving him carries because it trusts him.

Safety Julian Love, who has two interceptions this season, sat out after his calf tightened during practice last week and is considered day-to-day, while Ty Okada has yet to play this season because of a hamstring problem. Seattle now comes home after two straight road games to face the Chargers (0-3), who also lost Sunday, 24-16 to Buffalo.