This evening, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Washington Commanders in another prime-time game. Their last Monday night game was in Jacksonville, and maybe they looked past the Jaguars; they can’t afford to make that mistake again.
In the final game of Week eight of the NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs face a Washington Commanders team missing their young star quarterback, Jayden Daniels. Former Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota gets another chance to break the hearts of Chiefs fans.
With his miraculous playoff win at Arrowhead, in what would become the final game of Alex Smith wearing a Chiefs uniform, that loss served as a kick-start for the Patrick Mahomes era. So, if you’re a glass-half-full person, the victory far outweighs the playoff loss.
The Chiefs enter this NFC matchup as the better team, and perhaps no offense has been clicking on all cylinders like the Chiefs’ units since the second half of the New York Giants game. Since then, despite that loss to the Jaguars, this team has been averaging around thirty points per game.
Last Sunday, we saw the return of wide receiver Rashee Rice, who scored two touchdown passes. For a player who hadn’t played a regular-season game in a year, he essentially performed at the level he did before his 2024 season-ending injury.
For the first time in his career, Mahomes has every weapon he needs to be nearly unstoppable on offense. He has an emerging running back in Brashard Smith, five wide receivers capable of running multiple routes and formations, plus a future Hall of Fame Tight End, Travis Kelce, in his arsenal.
Add that to the offensive line’s play, which has kept Mahomes in the pocket, and suddenly the Chiefs put on the most incredible show on grass. Honestly, forget I’m a homer for my team, but what defense can shut down all those weapons?
On the other side, a revitalized Chris Jones has elevated the Chiefs’ defense. After that embarrassing play against Jacksonville, the All-Pro has been on a mission.
Although the Chiefs still need to resolve some coverage issues and find personnel, they have come together enough to show promise for a tough set of upcoming games.
My fear tonight is that the Chiefs will overlook the Commanders as they look ahead to their showdown with Buffalo on Sunday afternoon. It will be the most-watched game of the season, and a Chiefs victory will ring alarm bells throughout the AFC — they are the team to beat.
A loss would probably put this team back in a wild-card position. That’s why they need to be at their best against the Commanders. If they can maintain the momentum from the Raiders’ shutout, they can send a stronger message to Buffalo, which has lost two of its last three games and is in a tough fight this weekend.
Marcus Mariota has played some solid games filling in for Daniels, but he’s not on the same level as Mahomes. If the Chiefs come out and play with a tough, smash-mouth mindset, they might be able to rest their starters in the fourth quarter.
Once more, if they turn over the ball or commit penalties, this could be a one-possession game in the final minutes.
Either way, the Chiefs will face a team that many expected to win the NFC East. After all, with Daniels leading, they reached the NFC title game last season.
The key battle tonight will be which surprises Commanders Offensive Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury can devise to counter the masterful Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. That might be the most interesting aspect of this game.
With both wide receivers, Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin, expected to be active, they have playmakers who can create matchup problems for the Chiefs.
Still, Kansas City has the clear advantage, and that’s Mahomes. If the team can run the ball as well as it has in the last four games, the offense should keep clicking, and the Chiefs should come out on top.
Score Prediction:
Chiefs 37 – Commanders 16
