The 4-3 Kansas City Chiefs will host the 3-4 Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football, and theoretically, this is a game that the K.C. should win, as Washington has come crashing down after a surprise NFC Championship Game appearance in 2024.
The Commanders have struggled mightily on defense all season and are coming off an outing in which they allowed 37 offensive points to the Dallas Cowboys. To make matters more difficult for Washington, star second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels will sit out tonight with a hamstring injury, so veteran Marcus Mariota will make his third start of the campaign. While Mariota is a face in one of the worst moments in Chiefs history, Kansas City is the far more talented and complete team on both sides of the ball.
With that being said, the Chiefs will not be at full strength tonight, particularly on the offensive line. Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons will miss his third consecutive game for personal reasons, so it will be the Jaylon Moore show once again. Moore has played up to his two-year, $30 million contract, as he has been sublime in Simmons’ absence in defensive fronts featuring Aidan Hutchinson and Maxx Crosby. Washington’s defensive line is far from dominant and has lost Dorance Armstrong, who led the team with 5.5 sacks, to a season-ending knee injury.
Simmons may not be the only starter up front who could miss this game, as Trey Smith is listed as doubtful with a back injury. Smith, who did not practice all week, is a longshot to play against Washington. His replacement will likely be Mike Caliendo, who started at left guard down the stretch (including the postseason) in 2024.
Chiefs enter Monday night mostly healthy while Washington is down key players, including Jayden Daniels.
Barring any last-minute surprises, Smith and Simmons should be the only starters to sit out tonight. While it’s not specified if wide receiver Xavier Worthy (shoulder/ankle) and rookie running back Breshard Smith (toe) will be active, both were full participants in practice this week, so both will likely play, even if it’s in a limited snap count.
While Kareem Hunt (ankle/knee), Charles Omenihu (ankle/abdomen), Christian Roland-Wallace (hand), Jawaan Taylor (knee/shoulder), Jerry Tillery (elbow), and Jaylen Watson (back) all appeared on this week’s injury report, they all will be a go tonight.
A big key of the Chiefs’ bounce back from their 2-3 start has been health, as they have had their full complement of players on both sides of the ball throughout their two-game winning streak. While Simmons missing another game is not ideal, Moore has proven to be beyond capable in his stead. The biggest absence will be Smith, who has been one of the best and most durable guards in the NFL throughout his tenure in Kansas City. However, Caliendo has proven to be a capable backup/spot starter, so the Chiefs should mitigate Smith’s absence against a somewhat lackluster defensive front.
All things told, the Chiefs are by and large fully healthy against a Commanders team that is far from that. If Kansas City avoids mistakes and continues to play complementary football, they should leave this game 5-3 and firmly back in the playoff picture.