The 2-1 Seattle Seahawks return from a bye week in Week 4 to take on the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football. The game will be held at FedEx Field in DC with the ESPN crew rolling up for the latest installment of MNF. There may not have been a tougher three weeks of opponents vs. what the Seahawks were met with to start the season in Green Bay, San Diego, and Denver. While analysts are quick to “exploit” holes in the Seahawks, the team is still 2-1 and just a game behind the 3-0 Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West.  

The Redskins are 1-3 and have struggled mightily since beating the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2. Against their NFC East rivals, the Redskins have been outscored 83 to 48 against the Eagles (37-34) and Giants (45-14). With Robert Griffin III out indefinitely, Head Coach Jay Gruden has handed the keys to the car to Kirk Cousins. Cousins picked apart the Jaguars and played very well against the Eagles in defeat, but struggled last Thursday against the Giants, going 19-33 for 257 yards and 1 touchdown, but also threw 4 interceptions.  

Let’s take a look at this week’s matchup and what to expect when each team has the ball:

When the Seahawks are on offense

Russell Wilson continues to change the impression around the league from being a “game manager” to “superstar”. Wilson is completing 69% of his passes through three games and has 6 touchdowns to just 1 interception. With a quarterback rating of 108.9 on the season, the Seahawks coaching staff continues to put more and more on Wilson’s shoulders and he continues to answer the call.  

It helps when you have the third strongest running game in the league through the first month of the season. The Seahawks average 148 rushing yards per game and are, of course, led by Marshawn Lynch and his Beast Mode. Will this be the week the Seahawks unleash a little Christine Michael on the league? It is strength vs. strength as the Redskins defense is only giving 87 yards per game on the ground.  

Advantage: Seahawks

When the Redskins are on offense

With Robert Griffin III on the shelf and Kirk Cousins taking the snaps under Center, the Redskins have become a more prototypical offense with a drop back passer. Prior to the Giants game, Cousins looked fantastic. However, it all came crashing back to earth on Thursday Night Football and the talking heads had a field day through the weekend. That said, the Redskins are putting up relatively impressive offensive numbers - 292 passing yards per game and another 123 yards per game on the ground, good for 4th and 12th in the league respectively. Look for Cousins to hand the ball off to Alfred Morris 20+ times on Monday and don’t expect him to cross the century mark in yards against the Seahawks.   

The Seahawks defense remains healthy and when Jay Gruden was asked about the unit, his response was simply, “They really don’t have a weakness … I said I could probably put 18 names up there. They’re all very good”. The Linebacker unit should receive a boost this week with the return of outside linebacker Bruce Irvin from injury.  

Advantage: Seahawks

Special Teams

The Seahawks have the strongest Special Teams lineups in the NFL. Despite a missed field goal that aided the Broncos comeback, Steven Hauschka remains one of the games best place kickers. Punter Jon Ryan was just awarded the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September. With twelve punts on the season, Ryan averaged 48.3 yards per punt and has pinned the Seahawks’ opponents inside the 20 yard line seven times.  

After four games, the Redskins have the 31st ranked Special Teams unit when looking at DVOA ratings from Football Outsiders. Look for at least one or two big plays from the Seahawks Special Teams on Monday night.   

Advantage: Seahawks

Final Score Prediction: Seahawks 31, Redskins 10