<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-zach-ertz-hits-washington-urgent-warning-after-ugly-loss-chiefs');   ga('set', 'title', 'Zach Ertz hits Commanders with urgent warning after ugly loss to Chiefs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Zach-Ertz-has-been-reliable-for-the-Commanders.jpg"><figcaption>Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Zach Ertz hits Commanders with urgent warning after ugly loss to Chiefs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-28T07:25:42-07:00">October 28th, 7:25am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-28T07:25:42-07:00">October 28th, 7:25am</time><address><a>Ben Strauss</a>Ben Strauss is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a die-hard NFL fan who cheers for the Detroit Lions. He has previously written fantasy football content for IDPGuys and ImportantNonsense.com.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Commanders suffered an embarrassing loss on Monday Night Football. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-most-blame-blowout-loss-chiefs-monday-night-football-2025">Washington could not hang with Kansas City</a> in the second half, losing 28-7 and dropping to 3-5 on the season. One Commanders player wants his team to play with more consistency moving forward.</p><p>Commanders tight end Zach Ertz <a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/zach-ertz-clock-is-ticking-for-3-5-commanders-after-blowout-loss-to-chiefs" rel="noopener">issued an urgent warning</a> to his team after their poor performance against the Chiefs.</p><p>“It’s just too many highs and lows,” Ertz said, per NFL.com’s Kevin Patra. “Just haven’t executed consistently enough in all three phases in a game. Play a half really well and then don’t play the second half well. Play a game well in one phase, don’t play well in another. I thought we had a really good week of practice, honestly, and I’m confident that if we can continue to practice like we do, that’s going to turn. But the clock is ticking, obviously.”</p><p>Washington played well during the first half, keeping the score tied 7-7 at halftime. However, the Chiefs pulled away in the second half and scored 21 unanswered points.</p><p>The Commanders started Marcus Mariota at quarterback in place of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-washington-defeat-chiefs-jayden-daniels-injury">the injured Jayden Daniels</a>. He struggled to push the ball down the field, and Washington’s offense struggled as a result.</p><p>Hopefully the Commanders can get their offense back on track once Daniels returns to the starting lineup.</p><h2><b>Dan Quinn admits Commanders “left opportunities on the field” on MNF</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Dan-Quinn-1.jpg"><figcaption>Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Dan Quinn was not going to let his team off the hook just because Daniels missed one game.</p><p>Washington’s head coach admitted that his team <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-dan-quinn-washington-left-opportunities-loss-chief">left opportunities on the field</a> during Monday Night Football.</p><p>“I thought heading into the game and early and the energy, the juice and the speed, I saw and felt that from the minute we stepped on the field,” Quinn said. “But man, did we leave a – lot of opportunities out there tonight. And you cannot leave that many chances out there and expect to win, especially against this team.”</p><p>Many of those opportunities came in the first half. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-marshon-lattimore-interception-patrick-mahomes">Commanders picked off Patrick Mahomes twice</a> during the first half, but could not convert them into points.</p><p>Washington needs to start stacking some wins if they don’t want to be left behind in the NFC playoff race.</p><p>Next up for the Commanders is a Week 9 matchup against the Seahawks.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Zach Ertz hits Commanders with urgent warning after ugly loss to Chiefs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/why-chiefs-fans-worry-mnf-win-commanders');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Chiefs fans should worry after MNF win over Commanders');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Why-Chiefs-fans-should-shouldnt-worry-after-MNF-win-over-Commanders.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Chiefs fans should worry after MNF win over Commanders</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-28T07:05:11-07:00">October 28th, 7:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-28T07:05:11-07:00">October 28th, 7:05am</time><address><a href="http://hoopnut.blogspot.com/">Enzo Flojo</a>Enzo Flojo is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints and a columnist for Asian basketball at FIBA. He brings a dynamic spirit and background, having expertise that spans writing, analytics, coaching, and broadcasting. He is also currently an Assistant Coach on Scouting &amp; Analytics for the Philippine national youth basketball team.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Kansas City Chiefs are 5-3. They are now firmly above .500 after a turbulent start to the season. On paper, their Week 8 win over the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football should have been a cause for celebration. After all, Patrick Mahomes threw three touchdown passes, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-travis-kelce-reacts-matching-priest-holmes-franchise-history">Travis Kelce tied Priest Holmes</a> for the most touchdowns in franchise history. The defense also shut down a struggling offense.</p><h2><b>The win that didn’t feel reassuring</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Patrick-Mahomes-luck-keeps-getting-worse-with-Travis-Kelce-assisted-interception-2.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Peel back the box score, though, and the performance revealed cracks that could potentially haunt Kansas City down the road. Recall that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-moved-on-early-interceptions">Mahomes threw two first-half interceptions</a> for the first time in his career. The offensive line also struggled without key starters, and special teams miscues once again surfaced at the worst possible times. Even the defense showed worrying signs of fatigue and inconsistency against a backup quarterback.</p><p>The Chiefs might have left Week 8 with <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/boxscore/_/gameId/401772817">a lopsided 28-7 win</a>, but if they play this way against elite competition like the Bills or Dolphins, they won’t be so lucky.</p><p>Here we’ll try to look at and discuss why the Kansas City Chiefs fans should worry <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-gift-patrick-mahomes-sure-travis-kelce-smacking-commanders">after MNF win</a> over the Washington Commanders.</p><h2><b>A shaky start raises red flags</b></h2><p>Mahomes is human after all. Monday night was proof. The two-time MVP looked unsettled early. He threw interceptions on his first two possessions for the first time in his career. The first was a miscommunication with Rashee Rice. The second was a forced deep throw into double coverage that Washington easily picked off.</p><p>Mahomes rebounded in the second half. He completed 23 of his next 27 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns. However, even his brilliance couldn’t erase how poorly the Chiefs started. The offense looked flat, out of sync, and, at times, predictable. Against a Washington team missing its starting quarterback, the game was tied 7-7 at halftime. That should never happen to a team of Kansas City’s caliber.</p><p>Yes, Mahomes eventually found his groove, but it took two quarters and multiple turnovers. That sluggishness has become a troubling trend. It doesn’t align with their championship pedigree.</p><p>If not for the defense bailing them out yet again, this game could have spiraled quickly.</p><h2><b>Injuries piling up at the wrong time</b></h2><p>As if inconsistency wasn’t enough, the Chiefs are now battling the injury bug in key areas. Running back Isiah Pacheco and linebacker Nick Bolton both exited Monday’s game with knee injuries. Yes, early reports suggest neither injury is season-ending. That said, the timing couldn’t be worse with a short week ahead and a road game against the Bills looming.</p><p>Pacheco’s absence, in particular, could be felt immediately. He’s been the emotional spark and physical tone-setter for Kansas City’s offense. Without him, the Chiefs rely more on Kareem Hunt and rookie Brashard Smith.</p><p>Defensively, Bolton’s injury leaves a massive hole in the middle of Steve Spagnuolo’s unit. His leadership and tackling have been instrumental in stopping the run. Bolton’s absence will test the depth of a linebacker corps already stretched thin.</p><p>Injuries are part of the game, of course. Still, the Chiefs’ margin for error is thinner than usual this season. Losing key players while searching for offensive consistency is a dangerous mix heading into the toughest stretch of their schedule.</p><h2><b>Pass rush goes missing against a backup quarterback</b></h2><p>For a defense that’s been among the league’s best in 2025, Monday night was an oddly uneven showing. Even against Marcus Mariota, Kansas City’s defensive front struggled to generate consistent pressure.</p><p>Chris Jones was quiet for most of the night. The usually ferocious pass rush looked passive against an average Washington offensive line. Mariota had ample time to throw in the first half. He completed several intermediate passes and extended drives with his legs. Sure, the defense tightened up later. However, it’s concerning how flat they looked early, especially considering they’ll soon face Josh Allen, Bo Nix, and Daniel Jones in the coming weeks.</p><p>If the Chiefs can’t dominate a makeshift Washington offense, how will they handle teams who are on the up and up?</p><h2><b>Special teams miscues can’t be ignored</b></h2><p>One of the most overlooked storylines from Monday night was Kansas City’s sloppy special teams play.</p><p>A holding penalty by Jack Cochrane nullified a strong punt return, and another by Christian Roland-Wallace set the offense back deep in their own territory. These might seem like small mistakes in a 21-point win. However, they’re the kind of self-inflicted wounds that swing close games against playoff-level opponents.</p><p>These recurring penalties and miscommunication are becoming a pattern. Against Jacksonville earlier in the year, similar miscues directly contributed to a loss. If Kansas City doesn’t clean this up soon, it’ll cost them again when the stakes are higher.</p><h2><b>Offensive line concerns linger</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Patrick-Mahomes-luck-keeps-getting-worse-with-Travis-Kelce-assisted-interception.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Perhaps the most pressing on-field issue is the offensive line. Kansas City’s protection looked shaky again Monday night.</p><p>Jaylon Moore made his third start in place of injured tackle Josh Simmons. Meanwhile, Mike Caliendo filled in at right guard for Trey Smith. The results were uneven at best. Moore struggled early against Washington edge rusher Jacob Martin. For his part, Caliendo was pushed around by Javon Kinlaw.</p><p>The Chiefs adjusted in the second half. Mahomes got the ball out quicker and Andy Reid called more motion and screen concepts. However, the problem isn’t going away. If Smith’s injury lingers and Simmons remains sidelined, Mahomes could face even more pressure in upcoming weeks.</p><h2><b>Chiefs can’t keep living dangerously</b></h2><p>Kansas City’s 28-7 win looked dominant on paper, but the film tells a different story. The offense sputtered for a half, the defense struggled to pressure a backup quarterback, and special teams mistakes resurfaced.</p><p>Yes, the Chiefs are 5-3 and trending upward after an 0-2 start. However, their margin for error is slimmer than ever. Now, their flaws are becoming too consistent to ignore. Mahomes and Kelce can still take over games. Against elite opponents, though, slow starts and mental lapses will cost them.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Chiefs fans should worry after MNF win over Commanders

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-dan-quinn-washington-left-opportunities-loss-chief');   ga('set', 'title', 'Commanders’ Dan Quinn admits Washington ‘left opportunities on the field’ in MNF loss to Chiefs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Dan-Quinn-1.jpg"><figcaption>Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Commanders’ Dan Quinn admits Washington ‘left opportunities on the field’ in MNF loss to Chiefs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-28T04:56:21-07:00">October 28th, 4:56am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-28T04:56:21-07:00">October 28th, 4:56am</time><address><a>Jayesh Pagar</a>Jayesh Pagar is currently pursuing Sports Journalism from the London School of Journalism and brings four years of experience in sports media coverage. He has contributed extensively to NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and college football content, delivering in-depth analysis and breaking news coverage across multiple platforms.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Commanders’ three-game losing streak hit a new low on Monday Night Football, as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-most-blame-blowout-loss-chiefs-monday-night-football-2025">the Commanders fell 28-7 to the Kansas City Chiefs</a> at Arrowhead Stadium. Head coach Dan Quinn saw his team create two first-half turnovers but fail to convert them into points, ultimately watching the Chiefs pull away after halftime.</p><p>Following the game, Quinn <a href="https://x.com/NBC4Sports/status/1983016995017695380" rel="noopener">addressed the missed chances</a> that defined the loss, as per NBC4 Sports on X.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dan Quinn on not capitalizing in turnovers early in game<a href="https://twitter.com/JPFinlayNBCS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JPFinlayNBCS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RaiseHail?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RaiseHail</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Commanders?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Commanders</a> <a href="https://t.co/0pN4OpiDfl">pic.twitter.com/0pN4OpiDfl</a></p><p>— NBC4 Sports (@NBC4Sports) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBC4Sports/status/1983016995017695380?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I thought heading into the game and early and the energy, the juice and the speed, I saw and felt that from the minute we stepped on the field,” Quinn said. “But man, did we leave a lot of opportunities out there tonight. And you cannot leave that many chances out there and expect to win, especially against this team.”</p><p>Those missed opportunities were glaring throughout the first half. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-marshon-lattimore-interception-patrick-mahomes">Commanders forced two Patrick Mahomes interceptions</a> in the opening quarter but came away with zero points. One sequence ended with a failed fourth-and-1 deep in Chiefs territory, keeping the game scoreless before Kansas City struck first.</p><p>Washington briefly tied it 7-7 on Terry McLaurin’s touchdown before halftime. But Kansas City dominated after the break with back-to-back scoring drives, turning a tied game into a 21-7 lead and eventually sealing it 28-7.</p><p>“Not capitalised on the turnovers, not winning our fourth downs, they did,” Quinn added. “It was great to see us get in some of the takeaways. That’s been an emphasis of what we’ve been hitting on. But leaving here, you cannot leave that many opportunities out there.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-dan-quinn-hopes-to-have-jayden-daniels-back-in-week-9">Marcus Mariota started in place of the injured Jayden Daniels</a>, throwing for 213 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. The loss dropped Washington to 3-5, their third straight defeat after reaching the NFC Championship Game last season.</p><p>The Commanders now host Seattle on Sunday night, looking to end the skid and tighten up the situational execution that has plagued them through three games. Quinn’s message was clear: missed opportunities won’t beat championship-caliber teams.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Commanders’ Dan Quinn admits Washington ‘left opportunities on the field’ in MNF loss to Chiefs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-fans-down-bad-loss-patrick-mahomes-chiefs');   ga('set', 'title', 'Commanders fans down bad after sloppy loss to Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Marcus-Mariota-1.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Commanders fans down bad after sloppy loss to Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-28T00:35:29-07:00">October 28th, 12:35am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-28T00:50:25-07:00">October 28th, 12:50am</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is a veteran editor and writer for print and digital media. He also created and oversaw video and event production departments for legacy media brands. Mike is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Commanders faced the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-washington-defeat-chiefs-jayden-daniels-injury">without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels</a>. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year was sidelined by a hamstring injury for the Week 8 matchup. Marcus Mariota got the start in his absence and the Commanders managed to go into halftime with the game tied 7-7.</p><p>But things fell apart for Washington in the second half. The Chiefs scored 21 unanswered points and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-most-blame-blowout-loss-chiefs-monday-night-football-2025">Commanders got blown out 28-7</a>. The team fell to 3-5 with its third straight loss.</p><p>Both <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-terry-mclaurin-deebo-samuel-week-8-injury-updates">Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel returned</a> from injury against the Chiefs. Samuel had been dealing with a heel injury and sat out Week 7’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys. McLaurin had missed four straight games with a quad injury.</p><p>Despite the month-long absence, McLaurin appeared to be in Pro Bowl form early in the Monday night matchup. Mariota struggled to move the offense and the running game was a non-factor. But McLaurin kept the Commanders in the game with a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-terry-mclaurin-unreal-toe-tap-td-ties-chiefs-clash-mnf">sensational toe-tap touchdown</a>.</p><h2><b>Commanders fall to Chiefs in MNF rout</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Marcus-Mariota-2.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Unfortunately, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-terry-mclaurin-exits-mnf-chiefs-apparent-injury">McLaurin re-aggravated his quad injury</a> in the fourth quarter. He was seen standing on the sideline with his helmet on but he didn’t return to the game. The seventh-year wideout finished with three receptions for 54 yards and the Commanders’ lone touchdown.</p><p>Samuel’s return was less successful. A swing pass clanged off the wideout’s hands on Washington’s opening drive, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-deebo-samuel-marcus-mariota-chiefs-defenders">leading to an interception</a> – one of two Mariota threw in the game. Deebo finished with three catches for 11 yards.</p><p>Mahomes threw two interceptions early but the Commanders’ defense couldn’t stop the star quarterback in the second half. He threw three touchdown passes in the 28-7 romp. The Chiefs out-gained the Commanders 432 to 260 yards in a Monday Night Football rout.</p><p><a href="https://x.com/AlexRus5306/status/1983022933560983770" rel="noopener">Alex</a> wrote:<br>“It sucks to see where the Commanders are from being in the NFC Championship Game last season. 1 win from the Super Bowl. To this season being a 3-5 team.”</p><p><a href="https://x.com/Chuckykickass/status/1983009147579928635" rel="noopener">Chuck</a> added:<br>“Trade Payne and Deebo. They won’t be back. Have to rebuild the roster again. Won’t have to start completely from scratch this time around. Focus on next year.”</p><p><a href="https://x.com/TreydingStocks/status/1983033130496696656" rel="noopener">Treyding Stocks</a> commented:<br>“caring about the NFL was fun for 1 year. what y’all say we do it again in 30 more years?”</p><p><a href="https://x.com/MKULTRA1717/status/1983009888319012920" rel="noopener">CRC</a> wrote:<br>“This is just an awful team with an awful coach. Shockingly bad. This was always my fear with Dan Quinn. He’s not an Xs and Os guy and his message gets stale fast. Same exact thing happened to him in Atlanta.”</p><p>And <a href="https://x.com/UndercoverFan24/status/1983007806224773427" rel="noopener">CJ Carr Enjoyer</a> was optimistic:<br>“I can’t believe I’m seeing people overreact to 1 bad game. We’re in a slump, I get it. However to say the Commanders aren’t Super Bowl contenders is just ridiculous”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Commanders fans down bad after sloppy loss to Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-most-blame-blowout-loss-chiefs-monday-night-football-2025');   ga('set', 'title', 'Commanders most to blame for blowout loss to Chiefs on Monday Night Football');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Commanders-most-to-blame-for-blowout-loss-to-Chiefs-on-Monday-Night-Football.jpg"></figure><h1>Commanders most to blame for blowout loss to Chiefs on Monday Night Football</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-27T21:48:46-07:00">October 27th, 9:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-27T21:48:46-07:00">October 27th, 9:48pm</time><address><a href="http://hoopnut.blogspot.com/">Enzo Flojo</a>Enzo Flojo is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints and a columnist for Asian basketball at FIBA. He brings a dynamic spirit and background, having expertise that spans writing, analytics, coaching, and broadcasting. He is also currently an Assistant Coach on Scouting &amp; Analytics for the Philippine national youth basketball team.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>For 30 minutes, it looked like the Washington Commanders might actually pull off the unthinkable. They hung toe-to-toe with the four-time Super Bowl champions on national television. As has become the story of the Commanders’ season, though, promise turned into punishment. The Kansas City Chiefs flipped the switch in the second half. They stormed past Washington for a victory that laid bare just how far this Commanders team still has to go.</p><h2><b>A promising start turns into another Monday night meltdown</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Macus-Mariota-on-Sept.-21-2025.-2.jpg"><figcaption>Amber Searls-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Commanders fell to 3-5 after another humbling prime-time showing. Despite getting top receivers Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel back from injury, the offense sputtered under backup quarterback Marcus Mariota. He struggled to move the ball and threw two costly interceptions.</p><p>The defense stood stout in the first half. However, they also collapsed down the stretch as Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense scored on three straight possessions. A game that was tied 7-7 at halftime ended in a blowout. With it, Washington’s fading playoff hopes took another major hit as <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/matchup/_/gameId/401772817">they lost, 28-7</a>.</p><p>Here we’ll try to look at the Washington Commanders most to blame for blowout loss to Chiefs on Monday Night Football.</p><h2><b>Marcus Mariota couldn’t get the job done</b></h2><p>Marcus Mariota stepped in for the injured Jayden Daniels. He was supposed to manage the game, keep mistakes to a minimum, and give Washington a fighting chance. Instead, Mariota’s night perfectly summed up the Commanders’ season. They showed flashes of potential drowned out by poor execution and untimely errors.</p><p>Mariota’s final stat line had him completing 21-of-30 passes for 213 yards. He also tallied one touchdown and two interceptions. Those numbers only tell part of the story, though. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-deebo-samuel-marcus-mariota-chiefs-defenders">The turnovers were backbreakers</a>. His first interception came when he tried to force a throw to Deebo Samuel, only for it to be tipped and picked off. His second was an ill-advised deep shot into double coverage that set up a Chiefs touchdown.</p><p>He was also sacked three times and looked uncomfortable in the pocket. Mariota failed to diagnose blitzes and often held onto the ball too long. Even when given short fields, the offense couldn’t sustain drives. They punting three times total. Washington’s lone scoring drive came in the second quarter. It was capped by <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-terry-mclaurin-unreal-toe-tap-td-ties-chiefs-clash-mnf">a quick strike to McLaurin</a>. After that, the offense completely vanished.</p><p>Mariota’s performance wasn’t entirely his fault, though. The offensive line struggled, and the Chiefs’ defense deserves credit for its pressure and coverage. Still, the Commanders needed their veteran quarterback to stabilize the offense. Instead, his turnovers and missed reads gave Kansas City every opening they needed. To make matters worse, McLaurin also <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-terry-mclaurin-exits-mnf-chiefs-apparent-injury">left the field with an apparent injury.</a></p><h2><b>Offensive execution disappears after halftime</b></h2><p>Beyond Mariota’s struggles, Washington’s offense as a whole looked disjointed and uninspired. The game plan lacked rhythm. Every time the Commanders had a chance to seize momentum, they self-destructed.</p><p>Failed fourth-down conversions loomed large. These came on predictable short-yardage plays that were stuffed with ease. Those missed chances weren’t just about play-calling either. They spoke to a team that’s lost confidence in its ability to execute in key moments.</p><p>Even with McLaurin and Samuel back in the lineup, Washington’s offense failed to create explosive plays. McLaurin finished with just three catches for 54 yards, and Samuel was largely bottled up. He finished with 11 yards on three catches. The Commanders produced just 260 total yards. On the ground, the Commanders averaged a paltry 3.0 yards per rush. Their inability to stretch the field allowed Kansas City to sit on routes and pressure Mariota relentlessly.</p><h2><b>Defense collapses in the second half</b></h2><p>If the first half showed Washington’s defensive potential. However, the second half exposed its biggest flaws. After holding the Chiefs to just seven points through two quarters, the Commanders’ defense completely fell apart.</p><p>Mahomes and company scored on three consecutive possessions. They dissected Washington’s secondary with ruthless efficiency. Travis Kelce was unstoppable. He hauled in six catches for 99 yards. Rashee Rice also found the end zone once, exploiting soft zone coverage and miscommunication among Washington’s defensive backs.</p><p>The Commanders’ pass rush, once feared, was largely invisible. Their secondary was also repeatedly beaten on crossing routes.</p><p>Even when the defense did generate opportunities, the offense couldn’t capitalize. The lack of complementary football has become a recurring issue for this team.</p><p>By the time the fourth quarter arrived, Washington looked gassed, beaten, and outclassed. Kansas City finished with 432 total yards, 26 first downs, and a staggering 34:03 time of possession.</p><h2><b>Coaching and discipline issues remain</b></h2><p>Head coach Dan Quinn’s fingerprints are starting to fade on what once looked like a disciplined, well-prepared team. Washington has now dropped four of its last five games. In each loss, the same issues keep reappearing. These include penalties, missed assignments, and lack of second-half adjustments.</p><p>Their offensive play-calling became predictable, while the defense failed to adjust to Mahomes’ tempo and route combinations. It’s the kind of systemic breakdown that can’t be blamed on injuries or bad luck.</p><p>At this point, the Commanders aren’t just losing games. They are losing in familiar ways. And that points squarely to coaching.</p><h2><b>Running out of excuses</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Terry-McLaurins-unreal-toe-tap-TD-ties-Chiefs-clash-on-MNF-2.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>At 3-5, Washington’s season is hanging by a thread. The return of Jayden Daniels could reinvigorate the offense. However, unless the rest of the team finds consistency, even his spark won’t save them.</p><p>Mariota’s turnovers were costly. Still, the Commanders’ failures go far deeper. They have shown a lack of discipline, poor execution in critical moments, and a defense that folds when it matters most. Against the Chiefs, those flaws were magnified.</p><p>The Commanders entered Monday night hoping to prove they could compete with the league’s elite. Instead, they proved they’re still a step or more behind.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Commanders most to blame for blowout loss to Chiefs on Monday Night Football

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-terry-mclaurin-exits-mnf-chiefs-apparent-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Terry McLaurin exits MNF vs. Chiefs with apparent injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Terry-McLaurin_5b8c6c.jpg"><figcaption>Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Terry McLaurin exits MNF vs. Chiefs with apparent injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-27T21:15:06-07:00">October 27th, 9:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-27T21:35:03-07:00">October 27th, 9:35pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is a veteran editor and writer for print and digital media. He also created and oversaw video and event production departments for legacy media brands. Mike is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Commanders squared off against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football in Week 8. Washington got star receiver Terry McLaurin back from a four-week injury absence on Monday. And the two-time Pro Bowler made an immediate impact with an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-terry-mclaurin-unreal-toe-tap-td-ties-chiefs-clash-mnf">incredible toe tap touchdown</a> that tied the game just before halftime.</p><p>However, the Chiefs poured it on in the second half with back-to-back third quarter touchdowns. And Patrick Mahomes tossed his third TD pass of the game midway through the fourth quarter. The Commanders’ chances of a comeback then took a major hit when McLaurin left the game.</p><p>Washington’s top wideout was seen on the sideline in the fourth quarter with his helmet on but he didn’t take the field with the offense. He was <a href="https://x.com/RapSheet/status/1983003838937456934" rel="noopener">deemed questionable</a> to return after apparently re-aggravating his quad injury, per Ian Rapoport. McLaurin would not return to the field.</p><h2><b>Commanders lose Terry McLaurin during MNF loss to Chiefs</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Terry-McLaurin-2.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>This is obviously the last thing Commanders fans wanted to see. McLaurin suffered a quad injury back in Week 3. He <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-terry-mclaurin-avoid-being-ir">avoided the IR</a> but missed the next four games. The veteran wideout was finally cleared to play against the Chiefs in Week 8 but now his status is uncertain moving forward.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-washington-defeat-chiefs-jayden-daniels-injury">Commanders were missing Jayden Daniels</a> for the Monday Night Football matchup. But McLaurin looked sharp with backup Marcus Mariota under center. He made a sensational catch in the end zone that was ruled a touchdown after a replay review. And he also had a terrific grab on the sideline, exhibiting mind-blowing body control.</p><p>McLaurin’s night ended with three receptions for 54 yards and the touchdown. It’s possible that the lopsided score in the fourth quarter contributed to the Commanders’ decision to keep him off the field. The Chiefs went on to win 28-7.</p><p>Washington has now lost three straight games as injuries have taken a toll. The team plays the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football in Week 9. The Commanders hope to get healthy and back on track in the prime time conference showdown.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Terry McLaurin exits MNF vs. Chiefs with apparent injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-deebo-samuel-marcus-mariota-chiefs-defenders');   ga('set', 'title', 'Deebo Samuel somehow pops Marcus Mariota screen into Chiefs defender’s hands');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Deebo-Samuel.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Deebo Samuel somehow pops Marcus Mariota screen into Chiefs defender’s hands</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-27T19:07:37-07:00">October 27th, 7:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-27T19:27:24-07:00">October 27th, 7:27pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is a veteran editor and writer for print and digital media. He also created and oversaw video and event production departments for legacy media brands. Mike is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Commanders are looking to bounce back from consecutive losses in Week 8’s Monday Night Football matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. While Jayden Daniels is sidelined by a hamstring strain, the Commanders got their top two receivers back from injury. Both <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-terry-mclaurin-deebo-samuel-week-8-injury-updates">Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel suited up</a> for Washington in Week 8.</p><p>The Commanders were eager to get the ball in Samuel’s hands, hoping the veteran wideout could make a play after the catch. But Samuels derailed a promising early drive with a brutal mistake.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Oh no, Washington 😅</p><p>Mike Danna gets the interception off the Deebo Samuel drop 👀</p><p> <a href="https://t.co/kjLFXO5sIu">pic.twitter.com/kjLFXO5sIu</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1982967415358271754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Washington marched down to the Kansas City 18-yard-line on a nine-play, 39-yard opening drive. After picking up the first down, backup quarterback Marcus Mariota fired a swing pass out to Samuel. The Commanders were attempting to get him the ball in space. However, Samuel appeared to take his eye off the ball. The pass clanged off his hands, popped up in the air and was intercepted by Chiefs DE Mike Danna.</p><h2><b>Deebo Samuel miscue kills Commanders’ drive</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Deebo-Samuel-2.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Samuel’s miscue was a momentum killer. Instead of coming away with points on the opening drive, the Commanders turned it over deep in Chiefs’ territory. But Patrick Mahomes would quickly return the favor. Kansas City put together a nine-play, 42-yard drive down to Washington’s 26-yard-line. But the star QB was intercepted by Marshon Lattimore.</p><p>Both teams would recover from the early mistakes as Kareem Hunt scored a goal line rushing touchdown and Terry McLaurin came down with a gorgeous grab in the end zone. McLaurin, taking the field for the first time since Week 3, got both feet in while securing a lob from Mariota. After a review, it was ruled a touchdown and the game was tied heading into halftime.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/49ers-news-san-francisco-blockbuster-deebo-samuel-trade-commanders">Commanders landed Samuel in a trade</a> over the offseason. He’s been bothered by a heel over the last few weeks but he only missed last Sunday’s matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. He has three catches for 11 yards through two and a half quarters on Monday Night Football.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Deebo Samuel somehow pops Marcus Mariota screen into Chiefs defender’s hands

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-laremy-tunsil-exits-mnf-with-hamstring-injury-for-commanders');   ga('set', 'title', 'Laremy Tunsil exits MNF with hamstring injury for Commanders');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Laremy-Tunsil-practice-.jpg"><figcaption>Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Laremy Tunsil exits MNF with hamstring injury for Commanders</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-27T19:00:11-07:00">October 27th, 7:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-27T19:02:31-07:00">October 27th, 7:02pm</time><address><a>Lorenzo J Reyna</a>Lorenzo J Reyna is an Associate Editor covering the NFL and NCAA Football for ClutchPoints. He's equipped with past experience for both realms through his recent stops at Pro Football Network and Heavy while also writing for 247Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The NFL injury bug continues to relentlessly attack the Washington Commanders. Jayden Daniels is already one notable injury. Now Laremy Tunsil went down early against the Kansas City Chiefs.</p><p>Tunsil left with a lower body ailment. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter <a href="https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/1982968180868788340" rel="noopener">later revealed his prognosis for the rest of the evening.</a></p><p>“Commanders LT Laremy Tunsil is questionable to return tonight due to a hamstring injury,” Schefter posted on the social media website X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Tunsil <a href="https://x.com/ChadwikoTWW/status/1982968022399963601" rel="noopener">later got spotted</a> heading into the Commanders’ visiting locker room. Washington later ruled him out of the contest before halftime.</p><h2>Commanders struggling without Laremy Tunsil vs. Chiefs?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Patrick-Mahomes-of-the-Kansas-City-Chiefs-2.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Washington entered Arrowhead Stadium aiming to snap its two-game slide amid the injury pileup. Marcus Mariota got plugged to lead the Commanders offense as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-washington-defeat-chiefs-jayden-daniels-injury">Daniels sits with his own hamstring strain. </a></p><p>The Commanders showed they can move the ball without their QB1 in putting together a lengthy nine-play drive. Washington gained three early first downs on K.C. — but the drive stalled on an interception.</p><p>Deebo Samuel lost control of the botched pass which landed into the hands of Mike Danna.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Oh no, Washington 😅</p><p>Mike Danna gets the interception off the Deebo Samuel drop 👀</p><p> <a href="https://t.co/kjLFXO5sIu">pic.twitter.com/kjLFXO5sIu</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1982967415358271754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Kansas City, however, failed to turn the turnover into points. Patrick Mahomes ended K.C.’s opening drive with his own interception — with Marshon Lattmore picking that pass off near the sidelines.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Marshon Lattimore intercepts Patrick Mahomes and gives the ball back to the Commanders 🤯</p><p> <a href="https://t.co/eMYQYe1yJb">pic.twitter.com/eMYQYe1yJb</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1982969131898155503?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Mahomes even witnessed his own deflected pass become a takeaway later on in the game. Bobby Wagner snatched this pass originally intended for Travis Kelce.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Patrick Mahomes gets picked off for the second time in the 1st half 😳</p><p> <a href="https://t.co/kcL4RYrI0X">pic.twitter.com/kcL4RYrI0X</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1982974183320760515?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>But again, Washington needed to operate without its top blindside protector. And both teams struggled to put points on the board during the first quarter.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Laremy Tunsil exits MNF with hamstring injury for Commanders

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-terry-mclaurin-unreal-toe-tap-td-ties-chiefs-clash-mnf');   ga('set', 'title', 'Commanders star Terry McLaurin’s unreal toe-tap TD ties Chiefs clash on MNF');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Terry-McLaurins-unreal-toe-tap-TD-ties-Chiefs-clash-on-MNF.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Commanders star Terry McLaurin’s unreal toe-tap TD ties Chiefs clash on MNF</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-27T18:54:03-07:00">October 27th, 6:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-27T18:54:03-07:00">October 27th, 6:54pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Terry McLaurin made a strong return to the field by scoring a touchdown in the Washington <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-terry-mclaurin-deebo-samuel-week-8-injury-updates">Commanders’ matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs</a> on Monday night.</p><p>McLaurin suffered a quad injury in Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders that kept him on the sidelines for four consecutive weeks. It wasn’t until Week 8 where the star receiver finally made a full recovery to return to the field for the Washington offense.</p><p>Washington entered the matchup having lost its last two games. They are also without star quarterback Jayden Daniels, who suffered a minor hamstring injury last week.</p><p>McLaurin helped Washington compete despite that limitation. In the final minutes of the second quarter, he <a href="https://x.com/brgridiron/status/1982982056834379883" rel="noopener">caught an amazing 11-yard floater pass</a> from Marcus Mariota while tip-toeing his way in the end zone for the touchdown.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">MARIOTA FLOATER. MCLAURIN TOE-TAP TD. 🤯</p><p>ABSOLUTE PERFECTION</p><p>(via: <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NFL</a>)<a href="https://t.co/1AKqNVfYcK">pic.twitter.com/1AKqNVfYcK</a></p><p>— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) <a href="https://twitter.com/brgridiron/status/1982982056834379883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>How Terry McLaurin, Commanders played in 1st half vs Chiefs</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Terry-McLaurins-unreal-toe-tap-TD-ties-Chiefs-clash-on-MNF-2.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It was a great touchdown for Terry McLaurin to score against the Chiefs, which turned out to be his first of the season. It came at a great time as the Commanders are even at seven apiece against Kansas City.</p><p>Washington’s defense has been excellent at keeping the Chiefs’ offense in check, especially Patrick Mahomes. They got two interceptions off of the star quarterback, making life difficult for him and his teammates.</p><p>Marcus Mariota has been effective while Jayden Daniels recovers from his injury. He has completed 14 passes out of 17 attempts for 155 yards and a touchdown and an interception. He also added 22 yards on the ground after six rushes.</p><p>Jacory Croskey-Merritt has seven rushes for 18 yards at the moment. Jeremy McNichols leads the receiving attack with three catches for 52 yards. Luke McCaffrey came next with two receptions for 26 yards, Zach Ertz has three receptions for 11 yards, while Deebo Samuel caught three catches for 11 yards.</p><p>After this matchup, the Commanders will prepare for their next contest. They will be at home when they host the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 2 at 8:20 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Commanders star Terry McLaurin’s unreal toe-tap TD ties Chiefs clash on MNF

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-marshon-lattimore-interception-patrick-mahomes');   ga('set', 'title', 'Commanders CB Marshon Lattimore picks off Patrick Mahomes with textbook INT');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Marshon-Lattimore-picks-off-Patrick-Mahomes-with-textbook-INT.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><h1>Commanders CB Marshon Lattimore picks off Patrick Mahomes with textbook INT</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-27T18:50:19-07:00">October 27th, 6:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-27T18:57:22-07:00">October 27th, 6:57pm</time><address><a>Josh Davis</a>Josh Davis is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints with a focus on MLB. As the founder and creator of OutOfSightSports, Josh spearheads the development and expansion of an engaging social media platform, with a core focus on Twitter/X. A passionate sports writer, Josh is dedicated to delivering compelling content that connects fans and fuels vibrant sports conversations. His vision is to craft stories so vivid that fans feel like they’re standing at the plate or on the field.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In a pivotal NFL Week 8 matchup, the Washington Commanders got a massive lift from one of their newest additions. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-most-blame-blowout-loss-cowboys-week-7-2025">Commanders cornerback Marshon Lattimore</a> delivered a textbook interception of Patrick Mahomes early in the first quarter, flipping the tone of a tight contest at Arrowhead Stadium. It marked Lattimore’s first interception since being traded and a defining moment for a Washington defense still finding its identity.</p><p>The takeaway came on a crucial third-and-10 just outside the red zone, with Lattimore undercutting a sideline route intended for Marquise Brown. It was a vintage display of instincts and timing — and exactly the kind of play the Commanders hoped for when they acquired the veteran Pro Bowler. With the game still scoreless, the turnover sparked an 83-yard response drive, capped by Marcus Mariota’s touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin.</p><p>The NFL took to their official X, formerly Twitter account, to highlight the moment and <a href="https://x.com/NFL/status/1982968767274778630" rel="noopener">shared the clip</a> with a caption praising the veteran’s anticipation and timing.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Marshon Lattimore picks off Mahomes!</p><p>WASvsKC on ESPN/ABC<br>Stream on <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLPlus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NFLPlus</a> and ESPN App <a href="https://t.co/OD2TNZ1lzu">pic.twitter.com/OD2TNZ1lzu</a></p><p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1982968767274778630?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Mahomes, who had just two interceptions in seven games before Week 8, made a rare red-zone misread on the throw. The Chiefs were gaining momentum when the Commanders’ cornerback stepped up and made one of the most memorable plays of the night. The interception halted a promising Kansas City drive and swung energy back to Washington, whose defense entered the game ranked near the bottom in passing yards allowed.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/commanders-news-marshon-lattimore-clowned-by-fans-after-1st-half-performance-vs-mike-evans">At 29 years old, Lattimore</a> continues to prove that he can still be a game-changer. This pick not only gave the Washington defense a much-needed boost — it also reaffirmed Lattimore’s value in high-leverage situations.</p><p>For the Commanders, still battling for footing in the NFC, plays like this are essential. On a night when momentum swung fast, it was the Washington defense and a seasoned cornerback who made the moment matter most.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Commanders CB Marshon Lattimore picks off Patrick Mahomes with textbook INT

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/washington-commanders/2-last-minute-trades-commanders-make-2025-nfl-trade-deadline');   ga('set', 'title', '2 last-minute trades Commanders must make before 2025 NFL Trade Deadline');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/full_9aa32c.jpg"><figcaption>Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>2 last-minute trades Commanders must make before 2025 NFL Trade Deadline</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-27T17:02:27-07:00">October 27th, 5:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-27T17:02:27-07:00">October 27th, 5:02pm</time><address><a href="https://matthew516sports.substack.com/">Douglas Fritz</a>Douglas Fritz has been writing about sports for almost four decades and publishes a Christian sports newsletter and podcast on Substack at Matthew516Sports. He started as a reporter for the student newspaper at East Tennessee State University, worked his way up to Editor-In-Chief, and began his sports writing career at the Johnson City Press daily newspaper while still in college. During 30-plus years at the Press, he covered University of Tennessee football, men's and women's basketball, ETSU athletics, and high school athletics. Among the people he has interviewed are Dale Murphy, Bobby Cox, John Smoltz, and Bruce Smith. He is also a Christian-based screenwriter (five feature-length and one short), book writer (three completed manuscripts and one novel), and songwriter.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>What the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/could-commanders-face-last-playoff-gasp-chiefs">Washington Commanders’ 2025 season will become</a> may hinge on their game against the Chiefs. And maybe there’s a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-serious-trouble-commanders">window of opportunity for a win</a>. But here are two last-minute trades the Commanders must make before the 2025 NFL deadline.</p><p>The Commanders entered Monday night’s game with a record of 3-4. They are buried in the NFL standings, tied with three other teams with the 11th-best record in the conference.</p><p>That doesn’t sound like a team that is willing to make a big move for the 2025 season. However, this team had Super Bowl aspirations before the year began, so maybe the Commanders aren’t willing to give that up just yet.</p><h2><b>Commanders could deal for RB Alvin Kamara</b></h2><p>The question is whether the Commanders believe Kamara still has enough left in the tank. He would at least be a decent replacement for Austin Ekeler, who is out for the season with an injury.</p><p>Kamara may not want to leave the Saints, but in the land of speculation, <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2025-nfl-trade-deadline-biggest-trade-candidates/" rel="noopener">this deal makes sense</a>, according to CBS Sports.</p><p>“The former Pro Bowler has made it clear that he’d like to stay in New Orleans, where he’s spent his entire NFL career,” Cody Benjamin wrote. “But it doesn’t take much to see that Kamara is choosing familiarity over championship prospects. There’s a handful of legitimate contenders that could use his level of pass-catching prowess out of the backfield, even if the multipurpose star is aging and relatively expensive.”</p><p>But would Kamara even play if the Commanders <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/alvin-kamara-i-dont-want-to-go-anywhere-if-saints-trade-me-ill-go-drink-a-pina-colada" rel="noopener">traded for him</a>? Maybe not, according to NBC Sports.</p><p>“I’ve been vocal that I don’t want to go anywhere,” Kamara said. “And I’ve said it countless times. Y’all know that. I think everybody knows that. The fan base knows that.</p><p>“At the end of the day, it’s business. I don’t go upstairs. I don’t have an office upstairs. I’ve got an office in Charlotte at NASCAR, but I don’t have an office upstairs. So I don’t really sit in those meetings. I don’t know what happens up there. I’ve just got to keep my head down.</p><p>“If I was a GM, I guess I would go to the player and be like, ‘Hey, we’re trading you, just so you know.’ So if Mickey comes downstairs and says that, I’m going to go drink a piña colada somewhere.”</p><p>So maybe that’s a good reason for the Commanders not to trade for him. But in a fun world, he would be a good fit. The Commanders could probably get him for a modest draft pick. And that’s the type of player they should pursue.</p><p>And it’s the reason they shouldn’t go after a guy like Trey Hendrickson. He would be too expensive. Plus, he’s already hurt. And the Commanders can’t win games with what they’ve got, waiting for him to get healthy. So that’s a non-starter.</p><h2><b>Commanders could trade for CB Riq Woolen</b></h2><p>Oh, I know. This feels so much like Marshon Lattimore. The Commanders traded for the former star cornerback, and he has been — well — lousy. It doesn’t look like Lattimore can cover anymore, but he sure is good at getting penalized.</p><p>And Woolen has been playing poorly for the Seahawks. This would be a reclamation project for the Commanders. But remember, they can’t afford to mortgage the draft farm because this season is on such shaky legs.</p><p>Woolen was a Pro Bowl performer as a rookie in 2022. He totaled six interceptions and looked like he would be with the Seahawks for a decade. But his performances trailed off, and he doesn’t have a pick this season.</p><p>However, Woolemn had his best game of the season in Week 7 against the Texans. He allowed <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/seahawks/seahawks-news/nfl-network-on-why-seattle-seahawks-are-better-off-keeping-riq-woolen-01k8dvdbp3v9" rel="noopener">only two catches</a> on seven targets for 13 yards and a 39.6 passer rating, according to Sports Illustrated.</p><p>Yes, it would be dicey to trade for a player based on one game. But the Commanders need help in their secondary. And this could be a dart-throw move that turns into something. He doesn’t have the body mileage of Lattimore, so there’s still hope he could have good years in front of him.</p><p>And there’s this from NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah that bodes well for Woolen.</p><p>“I always go back to conversations on cut-down day every single year around the league,” Jeremiah said. “You talk to every GM, they’ll say the same thing: ‘I always need one more tackle and one more corner, if we could just find a tackle and a corner,’ and there’s going to be attrition. To me, if I have any depth along the offensive line or secondary, I don’t know if I am willing to deal from that at this point if you’re a team that’s capable of going on a run. I get where he is, and you got guys coming back. And he hasn’t been what you hoped he would be, but I don’t know, what would you get? You would get a fifth or sixth round pick?”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2 last-minute trades Commanders must make before 2025 NFL Trade Deadline

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-kicker-matt-gay-out-mnf-back-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Commanders kicker Matt Gay out for MNF with back injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Gay-kicks.jpg"><figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Commanders kicker Matt Gay out for MNF with back injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-27T13:38:55-07:00">October 27th, 1:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-27T13:38:55-07:00">October 27th, 1:38pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Monday evening, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/could-commanders-face-last-playoff-gasp-chiefs">Washington Commanders will hit the road</a> to take on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-serious-trouble-commanders">the Kansas City Chiefs</a> in front of a nationally-televised audience in what will be the lone NFL game of the day. The Commanders have struggled so far this season, currently sitting at 3-4 ahead of the matchup against Kansas City, who also has not looked great.</p><p>Recently, the Commanders have been dealing with several injuries to key players, and <a href="https://x.com/RapSheet/status/1982900498010386952" rel="noopener">that trend continued</a> with the latest update ahead of Monday’s tilt with the Chiefs.</p><p>“The #Commanders signed K Matthew Wright to the practice squad and elevated him for tonight’s game. K Matt Gay (back) has been downgraded to out,” reported NFL insider Ian Rapoport on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Gay has been one of the more reliable kickers in the league throughout his career, so not having him on Monday could play a big role for the Commanders, as well as potentially affecting head coach Dan Quinn’s strategy about potentially going for it or not going for it on fourth downs (although Quinn is already one of the most aggressive coaches in the league in that department).</p><h2><b>A frustrating season for the Commanders</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Washington-Commanders-QB-Jayden-Daniels_f0595b.jpg"><figcaption>Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Heading into the 2025 NFL season, many expected that the Washington Commanders would take at least a small step back due to the laws of variance working themselves out–last year, the Commanders won an inordinate amount of tightly-contested games that were likely not going to all go the same way this year.</p><p>However, few could have predicted the team being under the .500 mark almost halfway through the season. Of course, injuries have been a big part of the reason why, as everyone from quarterback Jayden Daniels to wide receiver Terry McLaurin has missed team so far this year.</p><p>Things won’t get any easier for Washington on Monday as they take on a Chiefs team that looked awfully impressive in their last two wins over the Detroit Lions and Las Vegas Raiders.</p><p>The Raiders and Chiefs are slated to kick things off at 8:15 PM ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Commanders kicker Matt Gay out for MNF with back injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/washington-commanders/could-commanders-face-last-playoff-gasp-chiefs');   ga('set', 'title', 'Commanders surprisingly face last playoff gasp against Chiefs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Washington-Commanders-safety-Jeremy-Reaves.jpg"><figcaption>Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Commanders surprisingly face last playoff gasp against Chiefs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-27T12:02:03-07:00">October 27th, 12:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-27T12:02:03-07:00">October 27th, 12:02pm</time><address><a href="https://matthew516sports.substack.com/">Douglas Fritz</a>Douglas Fritz has been writing about sports for almost four decades and publishes a Christian sports newsletter and podcast on Substack at Matthew516Sports. He started as a reporter for the student newspaper at East Tennessee State University, worked his way up to Editor-In-Chief, and began his sports writing career at the Johnson City Press daily newspaper while still in college. During 30-plus years at the Press, he covered University of Tennessee football, men's and women's basketball, ETSU athletics, and high school athletics. Among the people he has interviewed are Dale Murphy, Bobby Cox, John Smoltz, and Bruce Smith. He is also a Christian-based screenwriter (five feature-length and one short), book writer (three completed manuscripts and one novel), and songwriter.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There are a couple of reasons the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-serious-trouble-commanders">Washington Commanders can feel like they have</a> a chance against the Chiefs, including <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-terry-mclaurin-deebo-samuel-week-8-injury-updates">the return of two offensive weapons</a>. But the Commanders surprisingly face their last playoff gasp against the Chiefs.</p><p>With Patrick Mahomes on the other side and Commanders QB Jayden Daniels out, it seems like a long shot for the Commanders to pull off a win. But the Commanders have to put everything they have into winning this game, or their 2025 season could be shot.</p><p>How did they get to this position just seven weeks into a once-promising season? Let’s take a look.</p><h2><b>Why would a loss to the Chiefs be a crushing blow?</b></h2><p>It’s those pesky NFL standings. Yes, there are 10 games left, and a lot can happen.</p><p>However, the Commanders are in a three-way tie for No. 11 in the NFC heading into the game. A loss puts them at No. 13. And remember, there are only 16 teams in the conference. That’s a pretty low spot to begin climbing a mountain.</p><p>A win, however, puts them in a tie for No. 9 with the Panthers. And the Commanders could legitimately see a better path.</p><p>But let’s look at the teams in front of the Commanders. The Packers are 5-1-1, and they aren’t going anywhere. Neither are the Eagles (6-2) and Buccaneers (6-2). There’s a pretty good chance those teams are division champions. And the NFC West champ should come from either the Seahawks (5-2) or the Rams (5-2). The other should be a Wild Card. And the Lions (5-2) seem like a playoff lock, either catching the Packers or getting a Wild Card spot.</p><p>That’s six of the seven spots. That means the Commanders must find a way to get past the 49ers (5-3), Bears (4-3), Panthers (4-4), Cowboys (3-4-1), Falcons (3-4), and Vikings (3-4) for one playoff spot. And keep in mind the Commanders are already 0-3 against that group, having lost to Atlanta, Dallas, and the Bears.</p><p>So imagine how hard it would be to catch all of those teams if the Commanders are 3-5 at what amounts to the halfway point of the season. Also, Washington still has the Seahawks, Lions, Broncos, Eagles, Cowboys, and Eagles again on their schedule.</p><p>Let’s be honest. After beating the Lions in the playoffs last year, that’s a loss this year. And there’s no way the Commanders will sweep the Eagles. So a loss to the Chiefs seems to make 9-8 the best-case scenario. Nobody in the NFC is going to the postseason with that kind of record. So getting to 10-7 is the key, and that only gives a team an outside chance.</p><p>Simply put, the schedule and the current record add up to tonight being a must-win situation for the Commanders.</p><h2><b>Commanders aren’t where they thought they would be</b></h2><p>Strong safety Jeremy Reaves is among the Commanders players <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/46685808/washington-commanders-jayden-daniels-terry-mclaurin" rel="noopener">who aren’t happy</a> with where things stand, according to ESPN.</p><p>“I’m pissed,” he said. “We’re so much better than what we’re doing now. “I understand what winning looks like now. Last year showed me what it feels like to win and that s— is fun. I’m not trying to take 10 steps forward to go five steps back.”</p><p>Injuries have crushed the Commanders. Daniels will miss his third game. Receiver Terry McLaurin has been out for a month. Edge rushers Deatrich Wise Jr. and Dorance Armstrong are gone for the season. Who knows what kind of impact receiver Noah Brown could make? He’s only been on the field long enough for seven targets and three catches. The Commanders’ projected starting offense for the season has not taken one snap together since training camp opened.</p><p>However, that’s part of the NFL drill. The Commanders had injuries last year, and they won games. Twelve of them in the regular season. Injuries can’t be the excuse.</p><p>“Everybody goes through it in this league,” offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said. “But we haven’t consistently been able to practice as a unit since training camp started. That’s where maybe some of the inconsistency is showing up.”</p><p>It seems like McLaurin started the process with the holdout, which rarely goes well for the player or the team.</p><p>“I think there’s correlation, but at the same time, I think what happened to me was just unfortunate,” McLaurin said. “It’s the irony of missing time. I’m sure that [the data] shows some sort of correlation, but for me, it was never something that was on my mind or a concern because I felt like I was in really good shape.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Commanders surprisingly face last playoff gasp against Chiefs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-serious-trouble-commanders');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes may be in serious trouble vs. Commanders');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Patrick-Mahomes-of-the-Kansas-City-Chiefs-2.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes may be in serious trouble vs. Commanders</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-25T12:56:47-07:00">October 25th, 12:56pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-25T12:56:47-07:00">October 25th, 12:56pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Chiefs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-biggest-x-factor-for-week-8-mnf-clash-vs-commanders">Kansas City Chiefs have a big “Monday Night Football” matchup</a> against the Washington Commanders in Week 8. However, it might be a tough day for Patrick Mahomes, as the latest injury update suggests he could be without some key protection.</p><p><a href="https://x.com/Chiefs/status/1982153252499271990" rel="noopener">Reports indicate that</a> right guard Trey Smith is doubtful for the contest, while left tackle Josh Simmons is already ruled out. Smith is dealing with a back injury, while Simmons was ruled out for personal reasons.</p><p>“Trey Smith is doubtful for Monday Night’s game against the Commanders. Josh Simmons is out.”</p><p>That’s two starting offensive linemen for the Chiefs who look like they <a href="https://x.com/tashanreed/status/1982154692579717556" rel="noopener">won’t be playing</a> on Monday, per Tashan Reed of the Washington Post. Of course, Smith still technically has a chance to play. However, when players are listed as doubtful, it typically results in a missed game.</p><p>“The Chiefs will likely be without two starting offensive linemen against the Commanders.”</p><p>If both players are ruled out, then Patrick Mahomes will be without his starting right guard and left tackle. If Smith cannot play, then Mike Caliendo is expected to get the start at right guard. Meanwhile, with Simmons already officially ruled out, the Chiefs will likely start Jaylon Moore against the Commanders.</p><p>It’s been a roller coaster of a season so far for Kansas City, as the franchise enters Week 8 with a 4-3 record. But things seem to be rolling once again, as the Chiefs have won three of their last four games. The return of wide receiver Rashee Rice has seemingly opened things up <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/rashee-rice-back-are-chiefs-best-team-afc">for Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense</a>.</p><p>In the seven games Mahomes has played this season, the three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback has thrown for 1,800 yards and 14 touchdowns while owning a 66.1% completion percentage. He’s also only thrown two interceptions, as Patrick Mahomes is playing incredibly efficient football as of late.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes may be in serious trouble vs. Commanders

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-terry-mclaurin-deebo-samuel-week-8-injury-updates');   ga('set', 'title', 'Commanders’ latest injury update confirms Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel’s Week 8 statuses');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Commanders-2.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Commanders’ latest injury update confirms Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel’s Week 8 statuses</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-25T11:30:05-07:00">October 25th, 11:30am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-25T11:30:05-07:00">October 25th, 11:30am</time><address><a>Sterling Bennett</a>Sterling Bennett is a seasoned sports journalist and writer, specializing in in-depth coverage of the NFL and NCAA Football. With over half a decade of experience in sports media, Sterling combines insider knowledge, sharp analysis, and a passionate voice to deliver engaging content that resonates with fans. His work is known for its clarity, credibility, and ability to break down complex football narratives into compelling stories.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Reinforcements are on the way for the Washington Commanders ahead of their Week 8 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-bold-predictions-week-8-clash-chiefs" rel="noopener">Monday Night Football bout </a>vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. Although Washington will rely on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-washington-defeat-chiefs-jayden-daniels-injury" rel="noopener">backup quarterback Marcus Mariota</a> to lead the way, the team is <a href="https://x.com/RapSheet/status/1982119938799104426" rel="noopener">getting back wide receivers</a> Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. </p><p>McLaurin missed the last four weeks after suffering a quad injury in Week 3. In his absence, the Commanders totaled a 1-3 record, dropping below .500 and to third place in the NFC East. McLaurin did not start the year as his normally impactful self, snagging just 10 receptions for 149 yards and zero touchdowns before his injury. However, after signing a new three-year, $96 million contract extension during the offseason, McLaurin expects to be a primary focus of Washington’s passing attack upon his return. </p><p>His counterpart, Samuel, has been Washington’s top receiver this season with McLaurin on the sideline. Yet, a heel injury hindered the Pro Bowl wideout for the last three weeks. Samuel played through the injury for two weeks, amassing 12 receptions on 16 targets for 111 yards and a touchdown, but was unable to suit up in a 44-22 Week 7 loss against the Dallas Cowboys.</p><p>Week 8 marks the first time the Commanders will have McLaurin and Samuel sharing the field since Week 3, when they combined for 103 scrimmage yards and helped lead the offense to a 41-point performance vs. the Las Vegas Raiders. With the two veteran receivers on the field, Washington is 2-1 and outscoring opponents 80 to 57. </p><p>The Commanders are looking for McLaurin and Samuel’s return to spark their offense after failing to score more than 25 points in each of the last two weeks. Their return becomes even more pressing, knowing the Chiefs are riding high after a dominant defensive shutout win against the Raiders and allowed 17 points to the Detroit Lions’ third-highest scoring offense. </p><p>Taking down Kansas City will be tough, but with McLaurin and Samuel back, winning becomes a higher probability for the Commanders. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Commanders’ latest injury update confirms Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel’s Week 8 statuses

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-terry-mclaurin-deebo-samuel-on-track-for-week-8-vs-chiefs');   ga('set', 'title', 'Commanders WRs Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel ‘on track’ to play in Week 8 vs. Chiefs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Terry-McLaurin-Deebo-Samuel-on-track-to-play-in-Week-8-vs-Chiefs.jpg"><figcaption>Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Commanders WRs Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel ‘on track’ to play in Week 8 vs. Chiefs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-24T14:24:11-07:00">October 24th, 2:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-24T14:24:11-07:00">October 24th, 2:24pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/chris.spiering.3" rel="facebook">Chris Spiering</a>Chris Spiering graduated from the University of San Diego with a Communication Studies Degree. He spent his final year as the Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris used to manage the betting team at ClutchPoints and now contributes about the NFL, MLB, NCAA Sports, and NBA, but he follows most sports, including NCAA Basketball. Chris also covers San Diego State men's basketball for East Village Times.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Commanders are getting great news ahead of a big-time Monday Night Football matchup against the surging Kansas City Chiefs.</p><p>Just when we all thought the Chiefs’ reign might be over, it seems that they have found a resurgence and are alive and back to killing football teams. The Chiefs are 4-3 on the season, winning four of their last five games. This shows the importance of this game for the Commanders.</p><p>Understanding that, the Commanders are making sure their two-star receivers will be available to play in this game. Terry McLaurin could <a href="https://x.com/TomPelissero/status/1981813666183090378" rel="noopener">return to action</a> for the first time since Week 3.</p><p>“WRs Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel Sr. were full participants in practice again today and are on track to return to action Monday night at Kansas City.”</p><p>They were both <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-terry-mclaurin-deebo-samuel-participants-thursday-practice">full participants on Thursday</a> as well. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-washington-defeat-chiefs-jayden-daniels-injury">Jayden Daniels won’t be playing</a>. Marcus Mariota will once again start for the Commanders, taking on a Chiefs team that he has played against before. Mariota is 1-1 on the season, taking down his former Las Vegas Raiders team and losing to the Atlanta Falcons, who he also played for. The veteran quarterback replaced Daniels against the Cowboys and finished the game going 4-10 for 63 yards, throwing one interception.</p><p>Head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-dan-quinn-hopes-to-have-jayden-daniels-back-in-week-9">Dan Quinn expects Daniels back for Week 9</a> against the Seattle Seahawks. Daniels is using this week to focus on rehab, and this should allow him to be healthy for another important contest. Washington cannot afford to let their season unravel after an impressive NFC Championship run last season.</p><p>This is a great time for Scary Terry to return. The offense has a chance to flourish in the passing game with him, Samuel Jr, Luke McCaffrey, and Zach Ertz. Ertz has four touchdowns on the season while McCaffrey has three. Only Samuel and Chris Moore have scored receiving touchdowns.</p><p>A win for the Commanders against the Chiefs would see their record back to .500, with nine games to play.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Commanders WRs Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel ‘on track’ to play in Week 8 vs. Chiefs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/fantasy-sports/nfl-week-8-fantasy-football-injury-report-2025');   ga('set', 'title', 'NFL Week 8 Fantasy Football injury report');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/NFL-Week-8-Fantasy-Football-injury-report.jpg"></figure><h1>NFL Week 8 Fantasy Football injury report</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-23T16:47:19-07:00">October 23rd, 4:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-23T16:47:19-07:00">October 23rd, 4:47pm</time><address><a>Kendall Capps</a>Kendall Capps is a multi-media journalist and editor who is overly passionate about all sports (to his wife's dismay). He's a Senior Editor at ClutchPoints who previously managed SB Nation's golf vertical. He has also done work for FantasyPros and co-hosted the Lay The Points podcast as part of a decade-long career in sports entertainment.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Baltimore Ravens</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The 2025 fantasy football regular season is halfway complete. By now, fantasy managers likely have an idea of how their team stacks up against the competition. But as Week 8 approaches in the NFL season, fantasy football managers need to be aware of the latest injury reports.</p><p>That is especially true this week, considering there are six teams on a bye. The Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals, and Jacksonville Jaguars all have the week to rest up and get players healthy.</p><p>With that said, it is time to delve into the key Week 8 injuries fantasy football managers need to know about.</p><h2><b>Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is practicing</b></h2><p>The biggest injury update with fantasy ramifications is clearly that of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. He has not played since a Week 4 blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, as he deals with a hamstring injury.</p><p>On Thursday, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/baltimore-ravens/ravens-news-lamar-jackson-practices-thursday-amid-hamstring-injury">Jackson practiced on a limited basis</a> for the second straight day. That is a good sign that he may return this week. Ravens’ offensive coordinator Todd Monken noted after practice that Jackson “looked good.” That has created a lot of optimism that he will play vs. the Chicago Bears on Sunday.</p><p>Earlier this week, head coach John Harbaugh expressed reluctance to be too optimistic. But the fact that the Ravens <a href="https://www.oddstrader.com/nfl/" rel="noopener">are favored by 6.5 points</a>, a line that has remained constant all week, is a sign that bookmakers expect the two-time MVP to play this week.</p><p>If he suits up, Jackson is a must-start, even though he’s not 100 percent.</p><h2><b>Garrett Wilson unlikely to play</b></h2><p>The wide receiver position is the most impacted by injuries this week and requires the most attention.</p><p>We’ll start that off with New York Jets wideout Garrett Wilson.</p><p>Wilson missed last week’s loss to the Carolina Panthers with a knee injury. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/new-york-jets/jets-news-garrett-wilson-mason-taylor-miss-practice-quarterback-drama">He is yet to practice this week</a>, with only one more chance to prove he can go on Sunday. That appears highly unlikely and should have fantasy managers making other plans.</p><h2><b>Texans WR Nico Collins’ concussion issue</b></h2><p>The Houston Texans’ top wide receiver, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/houston-texans/texans-news-nico-collins-concussion-makes-houstons-brutal-night-even-worse">Nico Collins, suffered a concussion</a> in the Week 7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He banged his head hard on the turf going out of bounds and did not return to the game.</p><p>He was diagnosed with a concussion rather quickly and has yet to practice this week. That does not bode well for him clearing the medical tests needed in order to play.</p><p>Fantasy football managers need to make plans to replace their WR1.</p><h2><b>Eagles’ AJ Brown trending in the wrong direction</b></h2><p>The Philadelphia Eagles’ offense and wide receiver AJ Brown finally broke out last week. Brown caught two touchdown passes, doubling his previous season total. He did not appear to injure himself in the win over the Minnesota Vikings.</p><p>Yet, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/eagles-new-aj-browns-week-8-status-in-doubt-after-missing-practice-again">Pro Bowl wideout missed practice on both Wednesday and Thursday</a> with a hamstring issue. Following Wednesday’s absence, it was believed to possibly be a maintenance day. But after missing both practices, he appears to be trending in the wrong direction.</p><p>Brown owners should be prepared to make a switch if needed.</p><h2><b>Commanders WR Terry McLaurin may return</b></h2><p>Conversely, the Washington Commanders might get their Pro Bowl receiver back in Week 8. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-terry-mclaurin-deebo-samuel-participants-thursday-practice">Terry McLaurin participated in full</a> on Thursday, a clear indication that he will return.</p><p>McLaurin last played in Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Normally, fantasy football managers would be thrilled with his return. But the veteran is not a must-start this week.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/how-commanders-shock-chiefs-week-8-without-jayden-daniels">Jayden Daniels has already been ruled out</a> for a difficult matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. With Marcus Mariota under center, against a red-hot Chiefs defense, you might want to ponder waiting a week to insert McLaurin back into your lineup.</p><p>It is also worth noting that Deebo Samuel also got a full practice on Thursday.</p><h2><b>Jerry Jeudy takes a right step</b></h2><p>Cleveland Browns receiver Jerry Jeudy has been a huge disappointment this year. Things certainly did not get any better when the Browns traded Joe Flacco to the division rival Cincinnati Bengals. That has rookie Dillon Gabriel starting at quarterback.</p><p>But, if you are in a pinch with all of the byes, there is good news on Jeudy.</p><p>After missing practice on Wednesday, he returned in a limited fashion on Thursday. Assuming he logs another session on Friday, the veteran wideout is likely to play against the New England Patriots this weekend. It is not an easy matchup, but the Browns will likely be trailing. So, Jeudy has target potential.</p><h2><b>Saints WR Chris Olave returns to practice</b></h2><p>Fantasy football managers who wrote Chris Olave off entering their draft have been proven wrong. Granted, I was one of those managers. His concussion issues scared me from targeting him at any point. But through seven weeks, Olave has remained healthy and produced.</p><p>Yet, he missed practice on Wednesday, with the Saints citing an ankle injury. He then practiced in a limited capacity on Thursday. There were no reports of an injury last week in a loss to the Bears. So, barring a setback, it appears the current WR2 can be started as usual in a favorable matchup at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.</p><h2><b>Other Receivers worth mentioning</b></h2><p>There are a few other fantasy football star wideouts that are not fully healthy. However, the following list is comprised of receivers who are practicing and appear to be on the right track to play in Week 8, despite the questionable tag: Emeka Egbuka, Stefon Diggs, Jaylen Waddle, DJ Moore.</p><h2><b>Bears RB D’Andre Swift is questionable in a soft matchup</b></h2><p>One of the nicer surprises for fantasy managers this season has been D’Andre Swift’s consistent production. The Chicago Bears’ offensive line has done a good job opening holes for the talented running back.</p><p>He enters Week 8 on a bit of a heater, having rushed for over 100 yards in back-to-back games.  This week, the Bears will face a Ravens defense that has been gashed all season long.</p><p>Swift missed practice on Wednesday with a groin injury. However, he returned to log a limited session on Thursday, putting him on track to play. If, however, Swift cannot go, backup Kyle Monangai becomes an automatic flex play at worst.</p><h2><b>Breece Hall, Josh Jacobs, Alvin Kamara updates</b></h2><p>Fantasy managers who are rostering Josh Jacobs, Breece Hall, or Alvin Kamara do not need to worry this week. Even though all three are listed as questionable, all signs point to them playing in Week 8. They are practicing, albeit in a limited fashion.</p><p>This is more of a case of veterans having their work held in check. All three can be fired up for Week 8.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NFL Week 8 Fantasy Football injury report

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-terry-mclaurin-deebo-samuel-participants-thursday-practice');   ga('set', 'title', 'Commanders’ Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel full participants in Thursday practice');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Washington-Commanders-WR-Terry-McLaurin_96a9bb.jpg"><figcaption>Amber Searls-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Commanders’ Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel full participants in Thursday practice</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-23T14:09:37-07:00">October 23rd, 2:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-23T14:13:58-07:00">October 23rd, 2:13pm</time><address><a href="https://matthew516sports.substack.com/">Douglas Fritz</a>Douglas Fritz has been writing about sports for almost four decades and publishes a Christian sports newsletter and podcast on Substack at Matthew516Sports. He started as a reporter for the student newspaper at East Tennessee State University, worked his way up to Editor-In-Chief, and began his sports writing career at the Johnson City Press daily newspaper while still in college. During 30-plus years at the Press, he covered University of Tennessee football, men's and women's basketball, ETSU athletics, and high school athletics. Among the people he has interviewed are Dale Murphy, Bobby Cox, John Smoltz, and Bruce Smith. He is also a Christian-based screenwriter (five feature-length and one short), book writer (three completed manuscripts and one novel), and songwriter.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>If the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-bold-predictions-week-8-clash-chiefs">Washington Commanders are going to have a chance</a> against the Chiefs, they will need to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/how-commanders-shock-chiefs-week-8-without-jayden-daniels">have several things fall into place</a>. And one step in that direction was the news that Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel <a href="https://x.com/Commanders/status/1981450558213902354" rel="noopener">were full participants</a> in Thursday’s practice, according to a post on X by the Washington Commanders.</p><p>That’s a big thing because backup quarterback Marcus Mariota will once again become the starter with Jayden Daniels ruled out for the contest.</p><h2><b>Commanders get key receivers back in the mix</b></h2><p>It’s not a guarantee they will play, but it sure looks a lot better than it did at this time last week.</p><p>Samuel said his heel injury <a href="https://www.thestar.com/sports/football/terry-mclaurin-and-deebo-samuel-return-to-practice-for-the-commanders/article_62f7a842-d5f2-5062-9620-cf54f1db3506.html" rel="noopener">has gotten better</a>, according to thestar.com.</p><p>“[It was] kind of nagging a little bit last week, [but] not an issue [on Thursday],” Samuel said.</p><p>Getting McLaurin back is important. He hadn’t missed a game in almost five years before this extended absence. Missing training camp to force a contract extension worked out well for McLaurin, but he has hurt the team with his absence — and some have said missing the preseason stuff made McLaurin more susceptible to this type of setback.</p><p>The absence of Daniels means the Commanders might have <a href="https://www.wusa9.com/article/sports/nfl/washington-commanders/dan-quinn-plan-identity-crisis-chiefs-week-8/65-8d7571cc-c129-4b7a-8629-81ad99e54230" rel="noopener">to pull strings,</a> but not too many, according to wusa9.com.</p><p>“I think for somebody watching to know it can get complex, too many plays, too much scheming, and that’s the nature of our game,” head coach Dan Quinn said. “But it also means I don’t want any hesitation. And make sure this is what we need to do. This is how we’re going to go about doing it. Sometimes, doing a little bit less, it allows your focus to get sharper. And sometimes we don’t want it to broaden. We want it to bring it in even tighter. And I think that’s what you and the fans will see from us on Monday night.”</p><p>If Samuel and McLaurin are both available Monday night, perhaps it will give Mariota a fighting chance to lead his team to the upset win.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Commanders’ Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel full participants in Thursday practice

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-bold-predictions-week-8-clash-chiefs');   ga('set', 'title', 'Commanders bold predictions for blockbuster Week 8 clash vs. Chiefs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Washington-Commanders-QB-Jayden-Daniels_ec624e.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Commanders bold predictions for blockbuster Week 8 clash vs. Chiefs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-23T11:08:45-07:00">October 23rd, 11:08am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-23T11:08:45-07:00">October 23rd, 11:08am</time><address><a href="https://matthew516sports.substack.com/">Douglas Fritz</a>Douglas Fritz has been writing about sports for almost four decades and publishes a Christian sports newsletter and podcast on Substack at Matthew516Sports. He started as a reporter for the student newspaper at East Tennessee State University, worked his way up to Editor-In-Chief, and began his sports writing career at the Johnson City Press daily newspaper while still in college. During 30-plus years at the Press, he covered University of Tennessee football, men's and women's basketball, ETSU athletics, and high school athletics. Among the people he has interviewed are Dale Murphy, Bobby Cox, John Smoltz, and Bruce Smith. He is also a Christian-based screenwriter (five feature-length and one short), book writer (three completed manuscripts and one novel), and songwriter.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s going to be a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-bold-predictions-monday-night-football-game-commanders-week-8-2025">tough challenge for the Washington Commanders</a> against the Chiefs. That’s true even if they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-deebo-samuel-terry-mclaurin-injury-updates-catch-chiefs-attention">get some of their top players</a> back in the lineup. But here are the Commanders’ bold predictions for the blockbuster Week 8 clash versus the Chiefs.</p><p>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.</p><p>The Commanders will be without the services of standout second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels, which makes predictions problematic.</p><h2><b>QB Marcus Mariota will throw for fewer than 250 yards</b></h2><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>Still, it’s a tough sell for the Commanders without Daniels, according to the Rich Eisen Show.</p><p>“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.”</p><h2><b>Chiefs’ dominance against Commanders will continue</b></h2><p>These teams have met 11 times, and the Chiefs are 10-1. Yep. The Commanders haven’t ever won on the Chiefs’ home field.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>And Mahomes is playing freely, according to the Kansas City Star.</p><p>“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 to be perfect with every single read. It’s like, at the end of the day, you’ve got to go out there and play football.”</p><p>It helps matters that his offense line has played solidly.</p><p>The line is “blocking really well,” Mahomes said, “which has given me a lot of confidence to just sit in the pocket and go through the reads. And guys are getting open. “And so it makes my job easier whenever you, like, know that what you think before the play is going to happen happens, and the guys get open. … That’s the simple version of it.”</p><h2><b>WR Terry McLaurin won’t do much in his return</b></h2><p>Let’s be optimistic and say McLaurin will get back. But even when he was healthy earlier this year, McLaurin didn’t do much. He hurt the team with his holdout, and he’s continuing to hurt the team throughout the season. Part of the 3-4 start can be put on his shoulders.</p><p>With Mariota at quarterback, don’t expect McLaurin to get anything special done. He may catch three or four passes, but he’s likely to finish with fewer than 50 yards and no scores.</p><h2><b>WR Deebo Samuel will lead the team in receiving</b></h2><p>Look for Samuel to catch underneath passes and make things happen with his legs. He should get in the neighborhood of seven catches and top 70 yards. Also, he’s a good bet to find the end zone.</p><p>It hasn’t been a great year for Samuel in his first season with the Commanders. That has added fuel to those who felt like the Commanders got a past-his-prime guy who wouldn’t do much. He has two WR1 finishes this season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Commanders bold predictions for blockbuster Week 8 clash vs. Chiefs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/washington-commanders/how-commanders-shock-chiefs-week-8-without-jayden-daniels');   ga('set', 'title', 'How Commanders can shock Chiefs in Week 8 without Jayden Daniels');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/full_ab566b.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>How Commanders can shock Chiefs in Week 8 without Jayden Daniels</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-23T10:52:26-07:00">October 23rd, 10:52am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-23T10:52:26-07:00">October 23rd, 10:52am</time><address><a href="https://matthew516sports.substack.com/">Douglas Fritz</a>Douglas Fritz has been writing about sports for almost four decades and publishes a Christian sports newsletter and podcast on Substack at Matthew516Sports. He started as a reporter for the student newspaper at East Tennessee State University, worked his way up to Editor-In-Chief, and began his sports writing career at the Johnson City Press daily newspaper while still in college. During 30-plus years at the Press, he covered University of Tennessee football, men's and women's basketball, ETSU athletics, and high school athletics. Among the people he has interviewed are Dale Murphy, Bobby Cox, John Smoltz, and Bruce Smith. He is also a Christian-based screenwriter (five feature-length and one short), book writer (three completed manuscripts and one novel), and songwriter.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-washington-defeat-chiefs-jayden-daniels-injury">Washington Commanders won’t have Jayden Daniels</a> against the Chiefs. And that could <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/washington-commanders/commanders-news-stat-reveals-jayden-daniels-role-washington-regression">add to their third-down woes</a>. However, for those who want to live in the land of silly optimism, here is how the Commanders can shock the Chiefs in Week 8 without Jayden Daniels.</p><p>This is the second injury for Daniels, who suffered a sprained left knee against Green Bay in Week 2 and missed two games. Still, the Commanders went 1-1 with the offense scoring a combined 61 points.</p><p>But remember, this is the Chiefs, not the Raiders or Falcons.</p><h2><b>QB Marcus Mariota will have to shine</b></h2><p>Let’s give Mariota a break on the horrible pick-six he threw against the Cowboys. It was a bad decision, a horrible effort, and it didn’t change the outcome of the game.</p><p>Overall, Mariota has been solid. In three games, he has completed 60.3% of his passes for 426 yards. He has three touchdown tosses and two interceptions while taking five sacks.</p><p>The Commanders can win with him at quarterback. But against the improving Chiefs, Mariota has to play at his highest level.</p><p>One good thing is Mariota has confidence playing for the Commanders. It’s part of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6667918/2025/09/27/marcus-mariota-commanders-qb-atlanta/" rel="noopener">his second journey</a> in the NFL, according to The Athletic.</p><p>“It’s been such an interesting journey for me and I would never trade it for anything in the world,” Mariota said recently. “I think I’m here for a reason. I believe in it.”</p><p>One reason Mariota has enjoyed his ride with the Commanders is the way head coach Dan Quinn handled him.</p><p>“The discussions we had were: ‘Be you, man,’ Quinn said. “That’s more than enough. And you don’t have to overtry or put (anything extra) on it. I was very proud of him for that.”</p><p>That allowed Mariota to play with more freedom.</p><p>“Throughout my career, I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself to be perfect, and I think I play my best when I’m enjoying it and having fun,” he said last season. “So that’s kind of how I’ve approached it, maybe the last couple years, and whatever happens, happens. But I think for the most part it’s just focusing on what I can control and not worrying about everything else.”</p><p>And that’s what the Commanders need on Monday night. Mariota needs to hit modest totals, like 250 yards passing. Maybe 25 yards rushing. And most of all, he has to lead the Commanders to finishing drives.</p><h2><b>Commanders must run the football</b></h2><p>The Chiefs are powerful 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.</p><p>That means Jacory Croskey-Merritt will have to have at least his second-best game of the season. He will need to be effective on first down, getting four, five, or six yards. If he gets hits for one or two yards, the Commanders’ drive will immediately be in trouble.</p><p>Plus, Jeremy McNichols will need to be effective with the chances he gets. And Mariota will have to make plays with his feet when the receivers are covered early.</p><p>The Commanders rank No. 2 in the NFL with 148.9 yards rushing per game. They need to make that work in a big way against the Chiefs.</p><h2><b>How many points to Commanders need?</b></h2><p>This is a key point in the discussion. The Commanders’ defense is not good. Patrick Mahomes will have his pick of open receivers throughout this game. And when Mahomes has that level of comfort, he puts up big games.</p><p>The only way the Commanders could hold him in check would be a pass rush. But their defensive ends this week are Jayln Holmes and Preston Smith. Holmes has four career sacks in eight seasons. Yikes. Smith has 70.5, but his best days are behind him.</p><p>The Commanders’ only hope is to blitz. And beating Mahomes seems more like a desperation hope than anything else.</p><p>So, it’s going to take points. How many? If the Commanders play conservatively on defense and manage to turn a couple of Chiefs’ drives into field goals. The Chiefs have scored 31, 30, 28, and 27 points over their last four games. This feels like a 34 spot. So the Commanders would need 35 points to win.</p><h2><b>The Commanders must coach perfectly on offense</b></h2><p>If the Commanders get to second and 10 and run the ball up the middle for two yards, they might as well get ready to punt. The only way to move the football against the Chiefs is to stay ahead of the chains.</p><p>Running the ball in a passing-need situation needs to work for solid gains. Because they don’t have Daniels around to bail them out. Third and long is a no-win situation with Mariota behind center.</p><p>The Commanders already made a good long-term decision by holding Daniels out for this game. They need him healthy so he can use his full arsenal, according to commanderswire.com.</p><p>“Using his legs is part of his game,” Dan Quinn said. “But remaining a passer before getting outside the pocket to run, that’s something that we’re going to continue to work on for sure.”</p><p>Daniels has made strides in making better decisions.</p><p>“When to throw away, when to stay alive to go,” Quinn said. “And so, me seeing that improvement already, I’m pleased with that.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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