The Kansas City Chiefs are heating up.
That’s bad news for the NFL in general and the reeling Washington Commanders in particular as the teams prepare for a Monday night matchup in Kansas City.
The Chiefs (4-3) have won two straight and are back in the thick of the AFC West race, one game back of the Denver Broncos entering Week 8.
The Commanders (3-4) have lost two straight and are third in the NFC East, two games behind the Philadelphia Eagles. Washington is under .500 for the first time since losing in Week 1 last season.
Washington will be without star quarterback Jayden Daniels, who suffered a right hamstring strain in Sunday’s 44-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. While it will be his third missed start in eight games, starting wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel are expected back.
After posting 38 total points in losses to the Chargers and Eagles to begin the season, the Chiefs have scored 28 or more points in each of their past four games, including a 31-0 rout of the Raiders on Sunday.
Patrick Mahomes threw for three touchdowns in each of the past two wins and has 1,131 yards, 11 TD passes and one interception in his last four games.
Wide receiver Rashee Rice, playing in his first regular-season game due to a suspension, had a team-high seven catches for 42 yards and a pair of scores against Las Vegas.
“He didn’t play the fourth quarter and probably wanted to,” coach Andy Reid said. “He came out feeling good, so that was a positive. Now he gets another week of practice under his belt.”
The Chiefs face a Commanders defense that ranks 27th, allowing 364.3 yards per game, including 238.3 (25th) through the air. Against Dallas, Washington allowed 409 yards.
“Our focus needs to be sharper,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said this week. “That’s the bare minimum and we’re going to dig in to find out how we improve upon that.”
Washington has only three takeaways, tied for second worst in the league entering Week 8. In addition, the Commanders are struggling to prevent big plays and get off the field on third down.
“We have the guys and coaches to fix those mistakes,” linebacker Bobby Wagner said. “We can’t really do anything about what’s happened thus far. All we can do is make sure that it’s better moving forward.”
However, the Commanders are without their top three defensive ends. This week they placed Dorance Armstrong (knee) on injured reserve, where he joined Deatrich Wise (quadriceps) and Javontae Jean-Baptiste (pectoral). Starting guard Sam Cosmi (back) did not practice Thursday.
The Chiefs held the Raiders to 95 yards of offense and three first downs. Their defense entered Week 8 ranked fifth in the NFL, allowing 280.3 yards per game.
Washington quarterback Marcus Mariota gets his third start after playing in place of Daniels in two games earlier this season. Mariota relieved Daniels on Sunday with nearly 12 minutes left in the third quarter and finished the game 4-of-10 passing for 63 yards and a pick-six.
“I’ve seen (Mariota) play throughout my entire career and have a lot of successful games, including this year,” Mahomes said. “So, we understand it’s still going to be a great challenge going up against a great football team and a guy who’s had a lot of success in the NFL.”
Mariota should have McLaurin (quad) and Samuel (heel), who were full participants at practice Thursday after missing four games and one game, respectively.
Kansas City placed rookie defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott on IR on Tuesday after he suffered a season-ending ACL tear against the Raiders.
Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt (ankle/knee), guard Trey Smith (back) and offensive tackle Josh Simmons (personal) did not practice Thursday.
Hunt is dealing with a bone bruise on his knee, but Reid told reporters, “He’s going to be OK, but we’ll have him sit out today.”
As for Smith, who is having back spasms, Reid said, “It’s getting better. We’ll just see how it goes.”
