The Washington Commanders traveled to Kansas City in week eight to face the Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, but were defeated 28-7, playing without star quarterback Jayden Daniels, falling 3-5 on the season and extending their losing streak to three games.
“I thought heading into the game early, the energy [was good], the juice, and the speed, I saw and felt that from the minute we stepped down the field, and that’s honestly what we’re looking for,” head coach Dan Quinn said after the game. “It was great to see us to 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 and walk away from this place with a win.”
The Commanders offense was pretty solid in the first half driving the ball down the field, until wide receiver Deebo Samuel deflected a catch right to a Chiefs defender, ending Washington’s thrilling opening drive headlined by Luke McCaffrey’s 37 yard return.
Samuel’s deflection resulted in a turnover. However, the defense responded in the best way, with two turnovers on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the first half, and capping it by finding Terry McLaurin for a Washington touchdown to tie the game before halftime.
Although the Kansas City Chiefs had a slow start in the first half, they made major improvements in the second half, while the Commanders’ momentum slowly fell resulting in the 28-7 loss.
Rookie wide receiver Jaylin Lane missed a kickoff on the first drive in the second half, which made Washington start their offensive drive around the 2-yard line after Kansas City increased the score 14-7. The Commanders ended up punting back to the Chiefs after possessing the ball for just two minutes.
Unfortunately Lane’s kickoff miss was a huge blow for the Commanders because right after that the Chiefs scored again increasing the score 21-7.
The Chiefs built upon their dominance and never looked back. After getting two turnovers in the first half, the defense went back to: blowing big plays; giving players like tight end Travis Kelce, wide receiver Rashee Rice, and running back Kareem Hunt the opportunity to score; closing the game; and securing a Chiefs home victory.
“I just thought, honestly, man, missed opportunities in the game, you can’t come here and expect to win and miss on those,” Quinn explained postgame. “You got to nail them. I thought we were going to play bold, move on the edge, that’s how we needed to play here.”
Despite the Commanders’ losing streak and injured roster, Washington fans are staying hopeful.
“My Commanders lose to [Kansas City, 28-7. Terry re-injured. Tunsil injured. Kinlaw injured. Deebo hurt again. No Jayden. Just brutal. But, we move on. Seahawks coming to town,” social media user Big Benny wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Let’s go! #RaiseHail”
The Washington Commanders will be back home at Northwest Stadium for a Sunday night prime-time matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m.