Week 8 game preview: Hot Chiefs host shorthanded Commanders on Monday Night Football
Mahomes and company eye fifth win in six games while Mariota makes his Arrowhead return.
The Kansas City Chiefs (4-3) versus the Washington Commanders (3-4) on Monday Night Football was a marquee matchup when the NFL made its scheduling release back in May.
The Commanders were 2024’s surprise contender who made it all the way to the NFC Championship game, one game away from facing the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
Not to mention, they have one of the league’s brightest young stars in quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Fast-forward five months, and the Week 8 matchup finds the Chiefs as double-digit favorites for a variety of reasons.
First and foremost, Kansas City is white hot. They have averaged over 31 points per game over their last four and are 4-1 after a 0-2 start to the season.
The secondary reason the Chiefs are heavy favorites is that Daniels is out, amid an injury-plagued season that has left them under .500.
10-year veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota, who is making his first appearance at Arrowhead since the infamous 2018 Wild Card game, will be at the helm. You might remember that the Chiefs blew a 21-3 halftime lead, a comeback that included Mariota throwing a 6-yard touchdown pass to himself.
When asked about preparing for a backup quarterback, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said they prepared the same way as if Daniels was the starter. While Daniels is a budding star, he and Mariota share similar skill sets.
“That’s a great question and I’ll be perfectly frank; it didn’t change at all, and I’ll tell you why, I think they (Commanders) did a really good job for their team by getting a backup quarterback who I think fits exactly what their – it doesn’t feel like, sometimes we play a drop back quarterback and the backup is an athlete,” Spagnuolo said. “We always got to talk about and maybe have a couple of reps in practice in case this happens. I don’t think they skip a beat in terms of what they’re doing offensively … I got a lot of respect for (Commanders QB) Marcus (Mariota).”
While Mariota’s career has been a roller coaster since then, he has started two games this season. In those matchups, he has gone 1-1 with three touchdowns and one interception, to go along with 60 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown.
“Yeah, I mean, you want to go up against the best of the best, and Jayden (Daniels) with the way that he played last year, man, he’s in that category,” Mahomes said. “He’s a talented football player I’ve watched played since he was at Arizona State, to LSU, and to now in the NFL. Kliff (Kingsbury) speaks very highly of him as a person.
I hope he gets healthy sooner rather than later, but at the same time, I know Marcus (Mariota) can play too. I’ve seen it firsthand at Arrowhead in the playoffs. I’ve seen him play throughout my entire career and have a lot of successful games, including this year. We understand it’s still going to be a great challenge going up against a great football team and a guy that has had a lot of success in the NFL.”
The Commanders will also be without defensive end Dorance Armstrong and perhaps defensive tackle Daron Payne. Still, they will have wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel on the field together for more than a month.
With Kansas City as the heavy favorites and the Buffalo Bills next week, this is a recipe for a look-ahead game where its opponent appears to be a wounded animal, but has some explosive weapons to tag along with a mobile quarterback.
The Chiefs do match up well, though, so if they come to play, they should be able to take care of business.
Expect the Chiefs to pass a lot
The Commanders have allowed the 27th-most yards and over 24 points per game, but if they do have one strength, it is their defensive line and linebackers Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu’s ability to sniff out the run.
Head coach Andy Reid gets pass-happy from time to time, and this matchup could well tempt him to do just that.
Washington allows 238.3 yards per game through the air, which is bottom-10 in the NFL. Their safeties, Jeremy Reaves and Quan Martin, are struggling, and well-established corners Marcus Lattimore and Mike Sainristil are not performing up to their standard.
Teams have been able to take the top off the defense, too. Just last week, Cowboys wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens had catches of 74 and 44 yards.
That could bode well for ancillary pieces of the Chiefs’ offense, such as Tyquan Thornton, as well as bigger pieces such as Xavier Worthy or Hollywood Brown.
If they do not hit deep shots early, Reid said wide receiver Rashee Rice’s snap count should rise from the 41 percent he took last week to open things up.
With Wagner and Luvu struggling in coverage as well, he, tight end Travis Kelce or JuJu Smith-Schuster should be able to get things going in the short passing game to then open up the deep ball.
With a plethora of weapons now available to Mahomes, fireworks will be there to be had, and the Chiefs could drop at least 30 on their opponent once again.
When asked pointedly about Rice, Worthy and Brown all playing together, Reid was quick to point out that while it is great, it is not just them that has the offense rolling.
“You’ve got (Tyquan) Thornton, who also stepped over the last few weeks, and then JuJu (Smith-Schuster) in the mix,” Reid said. “You got a load of guys here who we try to keep them all going. So, you can throw fastballs out there the best way you can. We weren’t counting numbers of those three on the field at the same time, but I know when they were out there, it looked good.”
Contain Bill
A seventh-round rookie tailback, who likes to go by Bill, has taken over as the starter for the Commanders. His name is Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
Croskey-Merritt began the season taking 10 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. Veteran running back Austin Ekeler was lost for the season the following week, and the rookie has not looked back since.
He has tallied 377 rushing yards and four touchdowns at 5.2 yards per carry.
“The offensive tackles have obviously been playing great for them … and the running backs are doing great this year,” Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton said. “One’s averaging 5.3, I think, per carry, and another one is averaging 4.2 or something like that. It’s going to be a challenge for us up front. (We) need to stop the run early and get them in favorable downs for us and take out the quarterback.”
He did not play a lot of football in college due to eligibility issues, but his stock rose after a big performance at the East-West Shrine Bowl and a decent 40-yard dash time. He was touted for his explosion and cut-back ability.
He had his first 100-yard rushing game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 5, also hauling in 39 receiving yards.
He has, however, fumbled in two of his last three games.
EXTRAS
Scary Terry and Deebo are back
The line has fluctuated, with the Chiefs favored by as much as 12.5, and it currently sits at 10.5. Much of that has to do with McLaurin and Samuel making their long-awaited return to the field together.
Mariota has proven over the course of his career that he is limited as a pocket passer, but McLaurin is one of those guys who is open even when he is not, and Samuel just needs to find open field, and he can hurt you.
After sitting out one practice this week, Jaylen Watson (back) will likely have to go up against one of them. The probable matchup for him is McLaurin, while cornerback Trent McDuffie locks up Samuel, much like the plan in Super Bowl LVIII.
Cornerback Nohl Williams and safety help from Bryan Cook and Chamarri Conner will be a factor as well.
“We are looking forward to it,” Cook said. “They are great players. We are competitors, so we would like for them to have their best foot forward, and we do the same. So, I’m looking forward to the challenge. We’ve seen Deebo (Samuel) for a few years now. Obviously, with (Terry) McLaurin, pretty good receiver, very fast, explosive. I’m excited to see him back, too.”
Moore and Caliendo
The Chiefs did suffer a loss in their 31-0 beatdown of the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7, with franchise right guard Trey Smith exiting the game early with a back injury.
While the Chiefs say it is minor, they are taking a precautionary approach with Smith (back spasms), and he is currently listed as doubtful.
That said, they do have a Super Bowl starting guard with Mike Caliendo filling in for him, and Reid feels lucky to have him.
“We’ve always looked at Mike (Caliendo) as a starter,” Reid said. “I think all the guys do, and coaches do. Everybody’s got the confidence of when he comes in, you just pick up and go. I mean, that’s how I feel. That’s how I feel about him. I think I’m just speaking for the gang here.”
Two out of the five starting offensive linemen will be backups in this one. For the third straight game, swing tackle Jaylon Moore will continue to fill in for rookie left tackle Josh Simmons, who is out for personal reasons.
“He’s (Moore) done a great job,” Mahomes said. “He’s been ready. He comes to work every single day, true pro. He comes to work with the mentality of being ready for that next snap. He’s done it all throughout training camp, and now he has done it in the regular season, and that’s the reason that he is here.”
Brashard Smith trending up
Speaking of seventh-round rookie running backs, there is another one trending up.
SMU product Brashard Smith took a lot of garbage-time carries, but before that, he was a real weapon in the passing game. He caught five passes for 42 yards, being used as a weapon that complemented Rice well.
“He’s (Smith) done a nice job of picking it up,” Reid said. “That position, you’ve got to know the pass game, the run game, and then you have these protections that you’ve got to take care of. They get a little crazy – the protections do, with all the different looks that defenses are throwing at you. Then also as many protections as we have.
He’s hung right in there and done a good job. We’ve been able to give him a little more each week in different roles. We’re moving him all over the place. I wouldn’t see that part changing. We’re going to keep utilizing his talents.”
Against a leaking second and third level, this could be Smith’s breakout performance.
Key injuries
Chiefs: Left tackle Josh Simmon (personal) is out, and right guard Trey Smith (back) is doubtful.
Commanders: Quarterback Jayden Daniels (hamstring) is out, while defensive tackle Daron Payne (toe) and kicker Matt Gay (back) are questionable.
Key game details
Location: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri
Date: Monday, Oct. 27
Kickoff: 7:15 p.m. CT
TV/Streaming: ESPN/ABC
Broadcasters: Troy Aikman and Joe Buck
Radio: 96.5 The Fan
Head Referee: Brad Allen
Betting Line: Chiefs -10.5 | Moneyline: -750 | Over/Under: 48.5
Weather Forecast: Cloudy, high of 57°, winds around 5-10 mph, 15% chance of rain
