The Washington Commanders will head into one of their toughest matchups of the season without rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. In his absence, veteran Marcus Mariota will make his fourth start of the year as the Commanders face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football.
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The silver lining for Washington is that Mariota will finally have both of his top wideouts available. Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel, who have both battled injuries in recent weeks, were full participants in practice and have been cleared to play. It’ll mark the first time this season that the Commanders’ top receiving duo takes the field together — a much-needed boost for Mariota after a rough Week 7 outing against Dallas, where he completed just four of ten passes for 63 yards and an interception.
Speaking ahead of the primetime matchup, Mariota acknowledged the challenge of facing a resurgent Kansas City team and praised both sides of the Chiefs’ game.
“Obviously, the atmosphere, it’s gonna be loud,” Mariota said. “They’ve been playing well on both sides of the ball. Defensively, they’ve got a great scheme — their defensive coordinator has been there for a long time, has done a lot of great things putting their guys in positions to succeed. And then obviously Mahomes and those guys on the other side of the ball, they do unbelievable jobs. So yeah, it’s a great challenge and I think one that we’re up for and we’re looking forward to.”
The Chiefs enter Monday’s contest riding high, having won three of their last four games. For Deebo Samuel, however, the matchup carries a bit of extra motivation. The 28-year-old wideout has faced the Chiefs four times in his career — and lost all four.
“We definitely have a challenge on our hands with, you know, Patty Mahomes back there,” Samuel admitted. “They’re riding the high horse right now. They won three of their last four games, and Monday Night Football, like you said, the atmosphere is going to be crazy. I think I’ve played the Chiefs probably like four times. I think I’m like 0-4 right now. So, let’s see — can we turn this around for sure?”
Those four losses include some painful memories — from the 49ers’ 31-20 defeat in Super Bowl LIV to regular-season heartbreaks in 2022 and 2023 when Samuel was still with San Francisco. Now wearing Commanders colors, he’s hoping to flip the script.
Still, the odds aren’t in Washington’s favor. The Chiefs have regained their footing after a slow start and currently sit at 4-3, while the Commanders continue to search for consistency under first-year head coach Dan Quinn. Mariota’s mobility could help Washington’s offense stay unpredictable, especially with McLaurin and Samuel both healthy, but matching Mahomes and Andy Reid’s rhythm will be a monumental task.
