The Commanders turn to Marcus Mariota against Chiefs, and he has one connection to them that altered the NFL landscape
Can Marcus Mariota do the near impossible again vs the Chiefs?
The Washington Commanders need a win in the worst way this week as they travel to the Kansas City Chiefs on “Monday Night Football,” but it won’t be easy.
The offense will be without franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels for the third game this season after he suffered a hamstring strain in the loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Veteran backup Marcus Mariota gets his third start against a team he beat in the past, and it changed the Chiefs’ franchise forever.
Mariota is 1-1 this season as the starter with 426 passing yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions, with another 94 yards on the ground with another touchdown.
Marcus Mariota is looking to repeat history
I hate to call this a must-win game in Week 8, but it is with the start the Commanders had. Beating the Chiefs on the road in primetime is about as tough as it gets for any team, let alone one with a backup quarterback.
Mariota has shown many times that he’s a capable backup, and he gets the whole week of practice to prepare for the Chiefs. This isn’t the first time he’s looking to do the impossible, as he’s 2-0 against the Chiefs, including an insane comeback to beat them in the playoffs at Arrowhead Stadium when he was the starter for the Tennessee Titans.
Mariota completed a touchdown pass to himself, which started a comeback after being down 21-3 with six minutes left in the third quarter. He also threw an insane touchdown to Eric Decker to take the lead. Derrick Henry picked up a first down on third and 10 to put the nail in the coffin. The win actually changed the Chiefs’ and Commanders’ franchise forever.
Mariota changed the NFL forever
The embarrassing loss to the Titans meant changes were needed in Kansas City, and it also affected Washington. The Chiefs ended up trading quarterback Alex Smith to Washington weeks after the loss, and they handed the keys of the team over to Patrick Mahomes, and we see how well that has gone.
I’m not saying Mariota can shift the NFL landscape again on Monday night, but he could save a season slipping away quickly.
The Commanders need the best Mariota on Monday night
Hopefully, Mariota will actually have his wide receivers back to throw to against a really good Chiefs’ defense, as head coach Dan Quinn hinted that Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel should both be back at practice this week. Mariota has made some big plays this season, and he needs to pull out all the tricks on Monday night and protect the ball at all costs.
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