The Washington Commanders will be heading to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8 on Monday Night Football. The team will be without star quarterback Jayden Daniels, who is out with a low-grade hamstring strain.
However, the Commanders did get some good news on Thursday, as two of their top playmakers in Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin were active on practice and are in line to play Monday.
McLaurin has been dealing with a quad injury since Week 3, and has missed the last four games. He spent much of the off-season in a contract dispute with the team, before eventually signing a three-year, $97 million deal. So far on the season, he has only 10 catches for 149 yards.
Samuel was acquired this off-season, as the Commanders sent a fifth round pick to San Francisco for him. He missed last week with a bruised heel injury, but he has been dealing with it for a few weeks now.
He has been the most consistent receiver for the team this year, as he has 34 catches for 315 yards and three touchdowns. He has also -provided some big plays in the return game, as he is averaging 36.8 yards per kickoff return.
Getting these guys back would be a huge boost to the Commanders offense as they go into Arrowhead Stadium with Marcus Mariota back as the starting quarterback. This is his third start of the season, and he has 426 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Mariota will need all the help he can get on offense as the Commanders are going up against a Chiefs team that once again resembles a Super Bowl contender. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense is rolling now with guys like Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy back playing.
It isn’t just the offense playing well, as the defense is playing as well as any unit in the NFL. The Chiefs defense currently ranks third in scoring (17.7 points), fourth in passing yards allowed (174.6 yards) and fifth in total yards (280.3 yards).
Going into Arrowhead Stadium and winning with a backup quarterback is definitely a tall task. However, having McLaurin and Samuel back is huge for Mariota.
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