Before Washington Commanders linebacker Kain Medrano became a hero to fans and teammates during Sunday’s upset win over the Seattle Seahawks, he was worried. His thoughts circled his teammate, the injured Leo Chenal, instead of his opponents on the other sideline.
Chenal injured his neck during a second-quarter tackle. Medical personnel strapped him to a backboard, carted him off the field and took him to a nearby hospital for treatment and more detailed assessments. Team officials later confirmed that Chenal still had feeling in his extremities.
“We lost a brother,” Medrano said. “We’re all praying for him and just hope he’s alright. … It’s just time to step up.”
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Medrano had to shift his focus quickly. The Commanders were only partway through a dogfight against the defending Super Bowl champions.
Late in the fourth quarter, that focus paid off for Medrano and the Commanders. With the Commanders nursing a narrow two-point lead, the third-string linebacker saw an opportunity.
The Seahawks had dinked and dunked their way down the field throughout the afternoon. Quarterback Sam Darnold, in his first start since an opening-night glute injury, accumulated 379 yards and four touchdowns while keeping Seattle in striking distance.
SEE ALSO: Commanders’ Chenal backboarded, carted off with neck injury
Medrano had seen one-too-many dumpoffs during his limited playing time. With four minutes remaining and the Seahawks driving, the UCLA product jumped in front of a pass intended for tight end A.J. Barner.
There were no Seahawks between Medrano — who found himself turned into a ball carrier for the first time in his NFL career — and the goal line. Nobody was going to stop him from scoring his first career touchdown.
“I had to show off my wide receiver skills,” Medrano said after the game.
His pregame IV came in handy on the 50-yard return. A shifty juke allowed Medrano to evade Darnold and step out of the shoestring tackle attempt from speedy receiver Rasheed Shaheed.
“Just kind of happened to run right underneath the checkdown route and saw green grass,” he said.
Medrano insisted — as he coddled a pair of souvenir game balls — that he wasn’t trying to do anything special.
The Commanders focused on turnovers throughout the week of practice. Medrano had forced one himself in the lead-up to Sunday’s game.
The linebacker parroted another backup, quarterback Marcus Mariota, in his postagme conversations with reporters, insisting that he was just filling his role.
“Just do your job, your one-eleventh,” Medrano said. “Plays are going to come to you. We see what happens when we do our one-eleventh.”
The highlight-worthy play sent the Commanders’ fans into a frenzy. Their beloved team — with Mariota filling in for the injured Jayden Daniels — was about to secure their first win of the season against a juggernaut Seahawks squad.
“He’s special,” cornerback Amik Robertson said. “I see it every day at practice. He’s got a good head on his shoulders; his skillset is high.”
The excitement spilled out onto the Washington sideline, too. Starting linebacker Frankie Luvu, who was sidelined for a second consecutive game with a groin injury, couldn’t help himself from celebrating at the 30-yard line.
The referees didn’t appreciate Luvu making an on-field appearance without a uniform. The Commanders were assessed a 15-yard penalty on the extra point for an “illegal demonstration.” Kicker Drew Stevens missed the attempt, stunting the Washington lead at 33-24.
Luvu couldn’t contain himself, even if it ultimately cost the Commanders a potentially pivotal point.
Washington’s defense hadn’t forced a turnover in either of its first two losses.
Coach Dan Quinn has a wall outside of his office reserved for turnovers. It sat “devastatingly empty” for the first two weeks of the season.
It’ll receive three new additions this week, with Medrano’s likely to top the list.
Darnold, in an otherwise strong performance, tossed interceptions to Medrano and rookie linebacker Sonny Styles. Cornerback Amik Robertson forced a first-quarter fumble that allowed the Commanders to jump to an early lead.
“That was a big deal with the Leo injury — and Kain stepped into that space, having an interception,” Quinn said. “That was a big deal when you step up and deliver for the guys.”
The Seahawks offense offered staunch opposition throughout the game. Seattle seemed to have an answer for each Washington score, responding with constant counterpunches. The Commanders’ lead maxed out at 24-10 when receiver Terry McLaurin caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Mariota early in the third quarter.
But the Seahawks scored 14 unanswered points, leading to the razor-thin margins at the end of the game.
Darnold diced up Washington’s defense throughout the day, a theme that continued after Medrano’s score. The veteran quarterback pushed the ball down the field on a five-play, 68-yard scoring drive that only required 66 seconds.
Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba torched the Commanders’ secondary throughout the day with 10 receptions, a pair of touchdowns and 128 yards — including 44 yards on the Seahawks’ final possession.
The Commanders found themselves in a position to win thanks to complementary football: strong performances from the offense and defense. But it was up to the offense to ice the game with a two-point lead and just under three minutes remaining.
They did it.
Mariota used a nine-yard scramble to drain the final seconds off the clock, capping a standout performance where he threw for 183 yards and three touchdowns without a turnover.
The Commanders players gave the franchise exactly what it needed ahead of next week’s trip to London to face the 1-2 Indianapolis Colts: signs of life. Washington couldn’t afford to head overseas — without their starting quarterback — with an 0-3 record.
“The 0-3 test and the 1-2 test, both don’t sound great on paper, but they feel a lot different,” Quinn said.
The Commanders leave for London on Tuesday night. Sunday’s game in London is scheduled to kick off at 9:30 a.m. EDT.
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