The Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders will face off in tonight’s Week 9 Sunday Night Football matchup to close down the day of NFL action. Sam Darnold and company are off to 5-2 start to the season and entered the day tied with the Rams for the top spot in the NFC West.
Washington will be feeling the weight of the matchup after slipping to 3-5 on the year and falling to third in the NFC East. Jayden Daniels will be making his return to the field after missing last week with a hamstring injury and two previous games with a knee sprain. Darnold and the Seahawks will be road favorites for this matchup and looking to continue paving their path to the postseason.
Looking at the odds on DraftKings Sportsbook, the Seahawks enter as 3-point favorites and hold -155 odds on the moneyline. The Commanders hold +130 odds of getting the outright victory, with the game total set at O/U 48.5 points.
There are plenty of ways to get involved in the action outside of backing a side or total. This article will look at my top Sam Darnold prop bets ahead of tonight’s Week 9 Sunday Night Football matchup.
Best Sam Darnold Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Sam Darnold Over 242.5 Passing Yards (-111)
The Seattle Seahawks made the free agent swing to sign Sam Darnold and move on from Geno Smith this offseason. The early signs have been encouraging, especially given Smith’s interception issues coming back to the surface this year. Through his first seven games in Seattle, Darnold is averaging 250.6 passing yards with passing totals of 150, 295, 218, 242, 341, 295, and 213 on the season. He ranks sixth in the league in EPA per drop back and leads the NFL in yards per completion at 13.4.
Darnold will look to capitalize against a vulnerable Washington defense. The Commanders rank 21st in points allowed, 27th in yards given up, 26th in passing yards conceded, and 30th in net yards per pass attempt. They have allowed 252+ passing yards to six of the eight quarterback they have faced this season. This includes Patrick Mahomes throwing for 299 yards last week, Dak Prescott tallying 264 yards through the air the week before, and Caleb Williams recording 252 passing yards the week prior to this.
Seattle has found their offensive stride with Darnold at the heart of this. He has thrown for 242+ passing yards in three of his past four games while facing stiffer defenses. Washington grades better against the pass compared to the run, although neither are great, and Seattle will remain motivated to move the ball through the air. Darnold is averaging 27.4 pass attempts per game and should have plenty of opportunities to air it out. Count on the former Pro Bowler to throw for over 242.5 passing yards for the fourth time in the past five games and take advantage of the vulnerable Commanders’ defense.
Sam Darnold Longest Completion Over 36.5 Yards (-120)
While Darnold sees solid volume of pass opportunities, he has put his big play ability on full display this year. The former third overall pick leads the entire NFL in yards per pass attempt (9.1) and yards per completion (13.4). It is no coincidence that that Jaxson Smith-Njiba is having a career-best season and leading the league in receiving yards (819) and receiving yards per game (117.0). Their chemistry is clear and this is the most likely big play connection for Darnold.
Looking at his longest completion in each game thus far, Darnold has thrown for a longest gain of 40, 43, 45, 36, 53, 61, and 32 throughout the first seven matchups. He has only been held under the 36.5 line in two of the seven games this year. Seattle will keep a similar blueprint of attack, but face a friendlier defense for this matchup.
Darnold has thrown for 100+ yards through the air without any yards after the catch in every game this season, including as many as 237 in a game. He is not reliant on players making things happen after the catch like many quarterbacks and willing to take downfield shots for past this margin throughout. Count on Smith-Njigba and the rest of the wide receiver group to have chances for big plays throughout this matchup and for at least one gain of over 36.5 yards to occur in this favorable matchup.
