It’s going to be a tough challenge for the Washington Commanders against the Chiefs. That’s true even if they get some of their top players back in the lineup. But here are the Commanders’ bold predictions for the blockbuster Week 8 clash versus the Chiefs.
Washington comes in with a record of 3-4, having lost two straight games. The Chiefs are 4-3, coming in with a two-game winning streak and victories in four of their last five games.
The Commanders will be without the services of standout second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels, which makes predictions problematic.
QB Marcus Mariota will throw for fewer than 250 yards
In his two full games, Mariota passed for only 156 and 207 yards. And the Chiefs are very stingy against the pass. They’ve allowed only 174.6 yards per game, which ranks No. 4 in the NFL.
So the Commanders will need to run the football to have a chance to move it down the field. Look for the Commanders to run some play action on first down to give Mariota a chance to find open windows. And perhaps he hits some big plays.
But this is a game where the ground attack will be the key. The Commanders will not ask Mariota to win the game for them.
Still, it’s a tough sell for the Commanders without Daniels, according to the Rich Eisen Show.
“Dan Quinn just announced it's Marcus Mariota on Monday night against the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead,” Eisen said. “What an absolute nightmare of a first half of a season it has been for Jayden Daniels, coming off of his unicorn rookie campaign, where he was an absolute revelation. And a non-stop yards and points and hope machine in the Mid-Atlantic area for the Commanders. And the Daniels-McLaurin connection put on the rocks by a holdout.”
Chiefs' dominance against Commanders will continue
These teams have met 11 times, and the Chiefs are 10-1. Yep. The Commanders haven’t ever won on the Chiefs’ home field.
However, Mariota is 2-0 against the Chiefs. So, there’s that glimmer of hope. One of those came in the 2017 playoffs, when the Titans stunned the Chiefs, 22-21, in the Wild Card round. And the Titans trailed 21-3 in that contest. However, that was before Patrick Mahomes arrived in KC.
But the Chiefs are a strong favorite for a reason. The Commanders are without key weapons on both sides of the ball. The Chiefs have gotten stronger with the return of wide receiver Rashee Rice.
And Mahomes is playing freely, according to the Kansas City Star.
“Yeah, for sure,” Mahomes said. “I think I kind of went through, like, variations of … (being) too aggressive and maybe not as aggressive enough. And then now I think I’m just going out there and just playing. Just having fun. “I’m going through my progressions, making reads, and not trying to overthink things. I think (at) some points the last few years, I overthink it, and I want to be perfect with every single read. It’s like, at the end of the day, you’ve got to go out there and play football.”
It helps matters that his offense line has played solidly.
The line is “blocking really well,” Mahomes said, “which has given me a lot of confidence to just sit in the pocket and go through the reads. And guys are getting open. “And so it makes my job easier whenever you, like, know that what you think before the play is going to happen happens, and the guys get open. … That’s the simple version of it.”
WR Terry McLaurin won’t do much in his return
Let’s be optimistic and say McLaurin will get back. But even when he was healthy earlier this year, McLaurin didn’t do much. He hurt the team with his holdout, and he’s continuing to hurt the team throughout the season. Part of the 3-4 start can be put on his shoulders.
With Mariota at quarterback, don’t expect McLaurin to get anything special done. He may catch three or four passes, but he’s likely to finish with fewer than 50 yards and no scores.
WR Deebo Samuel will lead the team in receiving
Look for Samuel to catch underneath passes and make things happen with his legs. He should get in the neighborhood of seven catches and top 70 yards. Also, he’s a good bet to find the end zone.
It hasn't been a great year for Samuel in his first season with the Commanders. That has added fuel to those who felt like the Commanders got a past-his-prime guy who wouldn't do much. He has two WR1 finishes this season.
