ClutchPoints
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.
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.”
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...
