Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota warms up before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Commanders' Marcus Mariota previews Chiefs matchup

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Oct 26, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The Washington Commanders are facing off against the Kansas City Chiefs in a critical Week 8 matchup on Monday Night Football.

It will be a difficult task for quarterback Marcus Mariota, who is starting in place of an injured Jayden Daniels, but he is up for the challenge.

"Just from an observer and just watching tape of them, they just have so many interchangeable parts where they can get guys that maybe played safety in college that played linebacker, that they can kind of move around and maybe plays in the post, maybe he's playing in the box. So, they do a great job of just kind of creating different and unique looks," Mariota said.

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Mariota respects talented Chiefs defense

The Chiefs are known best for their offense, but their defense isn't something to overlook. They are coming off of a 31-0 shutout against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7.

Mariota believes there are several Chiefs defenders that can wreak havoc against the Commanders.

"And then on top of that, when you got good players, when you got guys like [Kansas City Chiefs DT] Chris Jones up front, [Kansas City Chiefs CB Trent] McDuffie and those guys when they're rolling too, they're playing great. But it's a very unique challenge and one that, it's kind of funny, I can even go look back in my notes from almost 10 years ago and he's completely changed on how he does it," Mariota said.

"And the challenge that it poses to us is, it's so unique kind of year to year, maybe even game to game. So, for us being able to communicate and just getting everybody on the same page, that way at the end of the day we can just go out there and execute what our plan is.”

The Commanders won't have it easy against the defending AFC champion, but if they can go in with a set game plan that's executed close to perfection, they could have a chance to upset the Chiefs.