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After a bye week full of rest and preparation, Earl Thomas and the Seattle Seahawks are ready for some football.

Seattle will help close out Week 5 of the 2014 NFL season when they head to the nation’s capital for a primetime matchup with the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football.

Monday’s game will mark the second prime-time showcase for the Seahawks (2-1) this year and Earl is looking forward to it as an opportunity to take what he learned about himself over the bye week and apply it in game action.

“It’s just another chance for me to play and a chance to see what I’m capable of, how much I’ve grown during the week and to see my body,” Earl said about the game. “It’s different when you’re watching your practice self and you’re watching your game self because there’s a lot of stuff going and you’re kind of in this other element. You’re kind of in a flow. It’s hard for me to explain, but it’s kind of an out-of-body experience.”

Monday will mark the first time the Seahawks will set foot on FedEx field since their Wild Card Playoff meeting with the Redskins in January of 2013, a game that evokes positive memories for Seattle fans.

In Russell Wilson’s first playoff contest, the quarterback guided Seattle back from a 14-0 first quarter deficit to a 24-14 win.

Earl and the Seahawks defense did their part, limiting the game’s other rookie quarterbacks —Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins — to just 203 total yards. ET III had four solo tackles, a pass deflection and one phenomenal interception of RG III in the victory.

Looking back on that moment, one that helped set the stage for Seattle’s Super Bowl run a year later, Earl reflected positively and noted the importance of that come-from-behind playoff victory to the development of the Seahawks into a title contender.

“It was a tough moment and it was key [to our maturation],” ET III said. “We didn’t finish that season, but we learned a lot from that game. They’re a stretch running team, and we got reached a lot the last time we played them. So we’ve been working on that.”

Earl also noted that a lot of what it takes to defend a team with the offensive firepower that Washington has comes from team communication. While No. 29 prides himself on his ability to communicate with and organize teammates, he said that, like anything else, is still a work in progress for the 2014 Seahawks entering Week 5.

“You can communicate all you want, but if [teammates] don’t understand what you’re saying, you’re gonna be in a tough spot,” he said. “So I’ve been [focused] on being more effective and being more aware.”

Communication and organization were a big reason the squad was able to come together and dominate in Super Bowl XLVIII, and while much of the personnel remains the same, some of it has changed, which has necessitated some adjustments.

One step Earl has taken to ease that process is making a concerted effort to get to know the members of his team as people, not only as football players.

“I’m enjoying my teammates and we’re growing closer,” No. 29 said. “I think it’s all about building relationships because this is a new team. This is not the same team from last year, so you definitely gotta know guys. You gotta know what makes them tick — what they like to do outside of football, and when we get out there on Sundays or on Monday — those guys are gonna fight for you. It’s genuine.

“We love each other and appreciate everything that everyone brings to the table. That’s when you know you’re in a good place and that’s where that inner peace comes from.”

PREPARING FOR WASHINGTON

While much has changed for Seahawks since the last time the two teams met, it pales in comparison to the changes in D.C.

Since their playoff loss to Seattle, Washington has just 4 wins in 20 games, including a 3-13 season in 2013 and a 1-3 start this year. Most recently, Washington is coming off of two disappointing divisional losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants.

Meanwhile, Seattle’s first three games of the 2014 campaign saw the Legion of Boom do battle with three of the league’s best pocket passers: Aaron Rodgers, Phillip Rivers and Peyton Manning.

This week, Washington brings an entirely different challenge. An injured Griffin has once again been replace by Cousins and the team has been paced by its ground attack, led by hard-charging running back Alfred Morris. Last season, Morris ran for 1,275 yards, good for fourth in the NFL and averaged 79.7 yards per game, sixth in the league, one spot ahead of Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch.

Morris has kept up the pace this year, accumulating 316 yards on 71 attempts including three rushing touchdowns. Washington currently has the most rushing touchdowns in the NFL with six, and led by that ground attack, ranks fourth in total offense. But despite those efforts they stand just 15th in points per game.

That’s due in part to the inconsistent start to the season at quarterback. Cousins took over for Griffin in a Week 2 win over Jacksonville and two starts since has thrown for six touchdowns and piled up enough passing yards to rank third in the league in yards per game.

However, Cousins looked less than stellar in last Thursday’s 45-14 loss to the New York Giants, when he went just 19-for-33 and threw four interceptions.

The third year man out of Michigan St. will make just his seventh career NFL start on Monday and is a decisively less experienced quarterback than the past three that Seattle has faced. But Carroll said his defense would approach the game in the same manner as they have the last several weeks when faced with the likes of Rodgers, Rivers and Manning.

“The three guys that we went against were the premiere quarterbacks in the league and we understand that and dealt with that accordingly,” Carroll said. “But Kirk threw for 400 [yards] just a couple weeks ago so he’s done some really good things, in a wide open offense too. So we’re not going to do anything different. We’re going to try to play ball, starting at the front and do a good job in the running game. It’s a very well grooved running game. Alfred Morris is a terrific player and they know it and they go to him and we kind of stop that first and stay on top in the passing game. If we can do those things then we have a chance to play well.”

Though the Seahawks watched extensive tape of the game, ET III said that he didn’t put much credence in Cousins’ showing against the Giants, and still considers Washington’s offense to be dangerous.

“I think they’re going to put [Cousins] in the best situation possible, just from last week and watching him play the Giants….So we can’t watch that tape and feel like they’re gonna do that against us,” Earl said. “We definitely gotta be on our keys because [Cousins] is putting up numbers. 400 yards of offense, and [Morris] has 4.7 yards a carry. So we definitely want to know how they want to attack us in certain situations, especially on third down. We definitely have to improve on third down.”

On the other side, Washington’s first-year coach Jay Gruden praised the Seattle defense’s trademarked ball-hawking style and acknowledged that it will be a tough game for his quarterback.

“We got to make sure that he does a great job with his eyes because that’s one thing that Seattle does unbelievable is all eyes are on the quarterback and they drive and they do an excellent job of rallying to the ball,” Gruden said.

Both Gruden and Cousins also made note that the Washington offense would not shy away from challenging ETIII’s and Richard Sherman’s side of the field. When asked specifically about the challenges lining up against a player like Earl Thomas brings, Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon maintained that he and his team would not change their mindset.

“No matter who’s out there, we play our game, run our routes and do what we can,” Garcon said.

Seattle will focus most of its attention on containing Garcon and DeSean Jackson. While both had quiet games against the Giants, each collected a touchdown and over 100 receiving yards Sept. 21 against the Eagles.

Earl and the Hawks will also look to capitalize on Washington’s turnover struggles. Through four games, the Redskins have posted a minus-five turnover margin, good for third worst in the league. Even though the Seattle defense has not forced as many turnovers as Earl would like, he remains positive that the right opportunities to strike will present themselves.

“They’re gonna come because we’re going to find ways,” Earl said. “We’re going to keep finding ways to get the ball out. [Opposing offenses are] not throwing the ball regularly like they threw it last year, so when you recognize what seems like a problem, you gotta dig deep and see. It’s not happening like it was last year. They’re not throwing those fade balls to Sherm. They’re not throwing those easy passes that they thought were open because we were taking everything away. Now it’s just checkdowns and quick throws. That’s how people are trying to attack us now.”

Gruden was quick to praise ET III and the Seahawks defense, and noted that it was hard to find a weakness to expose.

There’s really not one area where you say, ‘Well, let’s attack here.’ Because they are sound in everything they do and very impressive,” he said.

Offensively, Seattle will once again rely on the effectiveness of Wilson and Lynch. Wilson’s ever-efficient passing game has only been heightened by the return of explosive wide receiver Percy Harvin to full health. Both Harvin and Doug Baldwin Jr., average over 100 yards per game and will be looking to grab their first touchdowns of the 2014 campaign.

In his eighth year in the NFL, Lynch has looked his most dangerous this season. Even while playing one less game than a majority of the league’s running backs, Lynch is tied with Morris near the top of the league in rushing touchdowns with three and has also collected two receiving touchdowns.

Now more than two weeks removed from their overtime victory over Denver, ET III said that he and his team are itching to get back on the field after the long break and will head into Monday night ready for the marquee matchup.

“The whole world is watching and you have an opportunity to show that you’re the best at your position and show that we’re the best team,” Earl said. “It’s just a fun way to prove everybody wrong once again. You always want to play your best on that type of stage. Monday night ‘dun dun dun dun.’ You hear that all the time, so it’s a great experience.”

Kickoff from FedEx Field is set for 5:30 p.m. PDT on ESPN.