The Seahawks (5-2) return to action after their bye with a prime-time contest against the Washington Commanders (3-5), who are looking to get back on track after three consecutive losses. Despite Washington's recent struggles, the Seahawks know they're facing a tough test in the Dan Quinn-led squad, which just last season reached the NFC Championship Game.

"The Commanders are a really good team," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. "They obviously had a great year last year, putting up a lot of points. I think the defense and special teams are playing great, really well coached, a lot of great players, so great challenge ahead of us."

Here are four things to watch when the Seahawks travel east to face the Commanders on Sunday night.

1. Does Jaxon Smith-Njigba make some Seahawks history?

Every week seems to bring a new accomplishment or more recognition for third-year receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and even though the Seahawks didn't play in Week 8, that was again the case this week, with Smith-Njigba taking home NFC Offensive Player of the Month honors for October.

The 23-year-old Smith-Njigba, who leads the NFL with 819 receiving yards through seven games, is the youngest player in the Super Bowl era to record at least 75 receiving yards in each of the first seven games of a season, and he joined Hall of Famer Isaac Bruce as one of two players under the age of 24 to record at least 800 yards in the first seven games.

With 81 yards on Sunday, Smith-Njigba would join Bruce as the only player under 24 with 900 yards through eight games, and with 75 or more yards, he would be just the fifth player in the Super Bowl era with 75 or more yards through the first eight games of a season, joining Antionio Brown, Michael Irvin, Dwight Clark and Adam Thielen.

Smith-Njigba also could become the first player in franchise history to record four consecutive 100-yard receiving games.

"I can't say enough good things about his work ethic," offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak said. "He's had a productive start to the season, and he knows as best as anybody that it's a long year. All our work's ahead of us, so just keep his head down, stay humble, and stay hungry."

2. Does the running game improve coming out of the bye?

For all the Seahawks have done well this season on their way to a 5-2 record, one area in which they'd like to improve is their run game, which has been inconsistent and not as productive as the Seahawks were hoping for heading into the season.

With extra time during the bye week, coaches are hoping to have found some more solutions to get more out a rushing attack that ranks sixth in the league in rushing attempts, but 31st in yards-per-carry average.

"I've seen continuous improvement," Kubiak said. "We'll never be satisfied with where we're at is a better way to say it, but I really have a ton of respect for how hard our backs are working and how our young line has come together. Every week is a new scheme and a new game, and it's just another area of our offense that we've got to continue to improve on.

"I see our starting five coming together and getting on the same page. I see our running backs being detailed, and I see a group that's improving weekly."

In Washington, the Seahawks are facing a defense that has struggled to contain the run so far this season, with six of eight opponents gaining at least 128 yards on the ground, including the last four opponents rushing for 145 or more yards.

3. If Devon Witherspoon is indeed back this week, how does Mike Macdonald use him and Nick Emmanwori together?

For most of his first two seasons in Seattle, cornerback Devon Witherspoon has thrived as a nickel corner, making plays near the line of scrimmage, while also showing he can be an elite defender as an outside cornerback. The addition of safety Nick Emmanwori in this year's draft gave the Seahawks another option at nickel, and Emmanwori has played a lot in that role in recent games since returning from an ankle injury.

Emmanwori exited early in the season opener with an ankle injury, then Witherspoon suffered a knee injury late in that same game that has kept him out of five of the last six games, so Emmanwori and Witherspoon have barely played together this season.

But with Witherspoon expected back soon, quite possibly this weekend, that will change for the Seahawks, which brings up an interesting question: what is the best way for the Seahawks to use two versatile, physical players who are both playmakers in the nickel spot? It's a great "problem" for defensive coaches to work out, and one that Macdonald is no doubt having a good time sorting out.

"It's exciting that you have those two players that can play that position, which is awesome," Macdonald said. "We've got to make sure we put a tight enough plan where we can take advantage of both skill sets. That's kind of our burden to bear as coaches to make sure that it's clean and clear so the guys can go play the way they can play. But you know how we feel about Spoon. The guy's a tremendous player and Nick is at the beginning of a great career. He's off to a great start."

4. How do Bobby Wagner and other former Seahawks players and coaches fare against their former team?

One player tasked with stopping the Seahawks run game will be middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, a sure-fire Hall of Famer who is in his second season with Washington after 11 seasons in Seattle, as well as one with the Rams. With the Seahawks, Wagner established himself as an all-time great, and he continues to play at a high level in Year 14 to help lead Washington's defense.

"You're speaking to his resume, which is probably rivaled by maybe a couple other people in the history of the game," Macdonald said. "It's probably as big of a compliment as I can give him. To me, it's his meticulous attention to detail, maniacal way to prepare for games, it takes a lot. It's a toll on your body. It's probably the most impressive thing, honestly. His mind is obviously as sharp as ever, but to be able to still play all those plays is really impressive."

Wagner, who already played against the Seahawks twice while he was with the Rams in 2022 said there won't be any extra emotion around this game, but it's also one he and the Commanders need to get their season back on track.

"I've got a lot of love for Seattle, they know that," Wagner, who earlier this year was named one of the top 50 players in franchise history, told reporters in Washington on Thursday. "My teammates that were there, they know the love is there. I'm just trying to get a win."

And Wagner is far from being the only Commanders player or coach with Seahawks ties. Washington's current roster includes not just Wagner, but also linebacker and special teams standout Nick Bellore, tackle George Fant, defensive end Jacob Martin and long snapper Tyler Ott. The coaching staff, of course, is led by former Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, and it also includes former Seahawks assistants Ken Norton Jr., Brian Schneider, Larry Izzo and Tommy Donatell, as well as former Seahawks players Bobby Engram and Darryl Tapp.