Commanders dropped shocking news hours before kickoff, and also received a major boost ahead of Chiefs matchup
Winning just got harder for the Commanders hours before kickoff against the Chiefs.
The Washington Commanders are looking to shock the world by beating Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football.
If it wasn’t already going to be a hard task, the Commanders are without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels, with Marcus Mariota getting the start instead. They are, however, getting back their two best weapons on offense with Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel returning.
Hours before kickoff, the team announced that kicker Matt Gay will be out with an injury, and they’re rolling out a new kicker that they signed just before the game. There was also good news, however, with their best defender playing through an injury.
The Commanders are without kicker Matt Gay
Commanders kicker Gay has been dealing with a back injury all week, and now he is officially out for Monday night’s game against the Chiefs. Gay has been a hot topic with his key misses, but he’s been the only kicker on the roster since this offseason, and has gone 10 for 14 through seven games. Three of his misses have come from 50+ yards, and he’s been more reliable from under that mark. Now, the team will be starting kicker Matthew Wright, who was just signed to the practice squad and elevated to the active roster hours ago.
This game should be a shootout if the Commanders want any chance of winning, especially with how bad the defense has been lately, so kicking field goals all night probably wouldn’t be ideal, but you still need a reliable kicker. There is good news, however, as a key defender will be playing for the Commanders.
Daron Payne will play vs the Chiefs
One big name that was worth monitoring leading up to kickoff was defensive tackle Daron Payne. Payne missed practice all week with a toe injury that’s been bothering him, and he was a game-time decision heading into the matchup. We found out before kickoff that Payne is officially active, and he will need to have a massive game against the Chiefs’ offensive line.
The Chiefs are without rookie left tackle Josh Simmons and right guard Trey Smith, so the Commanders need to take advantage and get pressure on Mahomes and get him off the field without points. Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. said that the team will make changes on defense this week, and Kain Medrano is active this week as well.
Washington Commanders News
2026 NFL mock draft has Washington Commanders selecting playmaker to fix massive offseason mistake
The Commanders finally decide to address position in 2026 NFL mock draft.
