Deebo Samuel Revisits His 0-4 Record Against Chiefs as Marcus Mariota Set to Face Patrick Mahomes
The Washington Commanders will head into one of their toughest matchups of the season without rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. In his absence, veteran Marcus Mariota will make his fourth start of the year as the Commanders face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football.
The silver lining for Washington is that Mariota will finally have both of his top wideouts available. Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel, who have both battled injuries in recent weeks, were full participants in practice and have been cleared to play. It’ll mark the first time this season that the Commanders’ top receiving duo takes the field together — a much-needed boost for Mariota after a rough Week 7 outing against Dallas, where he completed just four of ten passes for 63 yards and an interception.
Speaking ahead of the primetime matchup, Mariota acknowledged the challenge of facing a resurgent Kansas City team and praised both sides of the Chiefs’ game.
“Obviously, the atmosphere, it’s gonna be loud,” Mariota said. “They’ve been playing well on both sides of the ball. Defensively, they’ve got a great scheme — their defensive coordinator has been there for a long time, has done a lot of great things putting their guys in positions to succeed. And then obviously Mahomes and those guys on the other side of the ball, they do unbelievable jobs. So yeah, it’s a great challenge and I think one that we’re up for and we’re looking forward to.”
The Chiefs enter Monday’s contest riding high, having won three of their last four games. For Deebo Samuel, however, the matchup carries a bit of extra motivation. The 28-year-old wideout has faced the Chiefs four times in his career — and lost all four.
“We definitely have a challenge on our hands with, you know, Patty Mahomes back there,” Samuel admitted. “They’re riding the high horse right now. They won three of their last four games, and Monday Night Football, like you said, the atmosphere is going to be crazy. I think I’ve played the Chiefs probably like four times. I think I’m like 0-4 right now. So, let’s see — can we turn this around for sure?”
Those four losses include some painful memories — from the 49ers’ 31-20 defeat in Super Bowl LIV to regular-season heartbreaks in 2022 and 2023 when Samuel was still with San Francisco. Now wearing Commanders colors, he’s hoping to flip the script.
Still, the odds aren’t in Washington’s favor. The Chiefs have regained their footing after a slow start and currently sit at 4-3, while the Commanders continue to search for consistency under first-year head coach Dan Quinn. Mariota’s mobility could help Washington’s offense stay unpredictable, especially with McLaurin and Samuel both healthy, but matching Mahomes and Andy Reid’s rhythm will be a monumental task.
49ers $38 Million Superstar Named Team’s ‘Most Disappointing’ Player
In a year where the San Francisco 49ers offense has battled instability at quarterback and multiple injuries to its primary playmakers, running back Christian McCaffrey has stepped up.
CMC currently leads the NFL in total yards from scrimmage (981), and is also first in touches (185). Despite his heavy workload, some aren’t keen on what they’re seeing from McCaffrey this season.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon listed each team’s “most disappointing” player, and for the Niners, he named CMC.
“While the three-time Pro Bowler has at least remained healthy as the rest of the roster crumbles, he’s averaging a career-low 3.5 yards per carry,” Gagnon wrote on October 23, adding: “That said, he carried the team to victory in Week 7. Again, I’m just trying to avoid going after injured guys, but Brandon Aiyuk would also be an acceptable answer here.”
Is Christian McCaffrey the San Francisco 49ers’ Most Disappointing Player so Far in 2025?
Put simply, saying McCaffrey is the team’s biggest disappointment is nonsense. We’d argue McCaffrey remains the team’s most reliable all-purpose player. Despite his 3.5 yards per carry average being low, he has 465 yards on the ground, and he also leads the team in receptions (53) and receiving yards (516). His dual-threat role alone would make him indispensable for
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan has heard the talk about his All-Pro running back not playing up to the expectations of others.
“I don’t know what he listens to or not,” Shanahan said on October 22. “I know Christian has a high standard, what he expects to do running the ball. I do personally, I know our whole team does. So, not getting the production that we would like these first five weeks I think had us all pissed off. I’m not saying we were pissed off, that’s why we did it well in Week 6. We try our hardest every week. But yeah, when we’re not running the ball well, no one’s happy around here, especially Christian.”
49ers Currently Have Top 10 Offense, Passing Game
The 49ers offense is currently ranked sixth in the NFL in total yards per game (366.6), and the unit is ranked No. 1 in most passing yards per game (271.3). McCaffrey’s versatility is a big reason for that.
Moreover, McCaffrey, who is on a $38 million deal, entered 2025 fully healthy after the injury-plagued 2024 season that limited him to just four games. Thus, selecting him as “most disappointing” feels just wrong.
If one sought a better candidate on the 49ers roster more worthy of the “most disappointing” tag, there are stronger contenders. The absence of Aiyuk looms especially large—his injury and delayed return significantly impacted the receiver room and thrust even more burden onto McCaffrey. Quarterback Brock Purdy also hasn’t been able to stay on the field, and rookie defensive lineman Mykel Williams has yet to make much of an impression for a first-rounder.
All are better candidates for the label than McCaffrey. It’d be totally fair to say CMC might be under-celebrated in his role this season, but calling him disappointing after all he’s done is silly.
