WASHINGTON — Washington's 33-31 upset of the Seattle Seahawks at home did more than add a win to the column, restoring energy and lifting fan confidence to 76% in this week's Reacts survey after a dramatic swing in sentiment. The victory over Seattle, decided by just two points, followed a steep drop from 70% in Week 1 and 80% in Week 2 to a dismal 20% in Week 3, with the latest bounce reflecting immediate postgame relief after the home opener.
Voters were divided on who deserved the most credit, with nearly half backing the offense and just over a third choosing the defense, while 19% credited head coach Dan Quinn. The community was not ready to let offensive coordinator David Blough take a solo victory lap, pointing instead to complementary football. Daronte Jones' defense clamped down on Seattle's ground attack and generated three critical takeaways, none bigger than the second-half pick-six that flipped momentum, including rookie Kain Medrano's game-winning interception just 40 snaps into his career.
When Blough's offense needed a response in the fourth quarter, quarterback Marcus Mariota settled down after a rough 1-for-11 mark on third down and led a clutch, clock-draining scoring march to seal the win, highlighted by a big run from Rachaad White to keep the drive alive. Special teams proved decisive in the two-point game as rookie kicker Drew Stevens nailed both of his field-goal tries for six points, ensuring drives that crossed midfield before the two-minute warning were not wasted, despite a missed 48-yard PAT following a penalty on Frankie Luvu, who was not even playing in the game.
That balance — Jones' defense providing short fields and splash plays, Blough's offense capitalizing with a clock-killing touchdown drive, and Stevens delivering clean kicking — was the textbook complementary effort voters recognized, with Quinn earning credit for fostering buy-in across a banged-up roster leaning on backups. Washington will need that resilience quickly with a turnaround trip to London to face Indianapolis at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, October 4, with kickoff slated for 9:30 a.m. EDT (2:30 p.m. BST) on NFL Network, where Indianapolis is currently favored per FanDuel as Daniel Jones faces his old NFC East rival.