Marcus Mariota’s confidence could spark Commanders upset vs. Chiefs
Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota is back in the starting lineup after Jayden Daniels suffered his second injury of the season.
This will mark Mariota's third time starting this year, and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is happy with his progress as he prepares to face off against the Kansas City Chiefs.
"I mean, he's been tremendous, really. I think going back to last year, it was a tough spot this last week," Kingsbury said.
"We didn't play very good overall and he, we were down big, you know, he had one throw he’d liked to have back, but just his command of the offense, the way he leads, the way he prepares, the way he's played in the games has been really good. So, not much will change. We'll try to do stuff that he likes specific to him and try to tailor the game plan to that. But other than that, we'll just cut it loose and let it go.”
Mariota has big opportunity vs. Chiefs
The Commanders are hoping to get back in the win column against the Chiefs, but it's hard to do that when the backup quarterback is in the game. Luckily for the Commanders, they have a former starter in Mariota who is one of the best second-string signal callers in the league.
"I really try to prepare, like I'm the starter every week and I try to do all the mental reps. Now more so I'm getting just more physical reps than I am the mental part of it," Mariota said.
"But I try not to change my process through the week just because I feel like as long as I got my process, I can lean on that, whether I'm playing or not and it's worked well for me over the course of the last couple years. Just being around [Offensive Coordinator] Kliff [Kingsbury] and [Quarterbacks Coach] Tavita [Pritchard] and the rest of the offensive staff, like, I feel really confident in the way that we prepare, and I just go about it the same way.”
Mariota has known for a few days that he will start, but his preparation hasn't changed a lot compared to other weeks. The hope is that he can put his best foot forward and lead the Commanders to victory over the Chiefs.
Browns Star Myles Garrett Turns Heads With Raw Admission After Career Game
Cleveland Browns superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett had the best game of his career against the New England Patriots on Sunday, but it mattered little as his team lost by 19 points on the road and fell to 2-6 on the year in the process.
A frustrated Garrett spoke with reporters following the game and turned a few heads with his comments given that he tallied five sacks and five tackles for loss against the Patriots.
“I would throw that whole performance away for a win,” Garret said, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.
Garrett passed Reggie White for the most career sacks before turning 30 years old, hitting 112.5 sacks for his career. He also doubled his sack total for the year after registering five sacks through the first seven outings of the season.With his performance on Sunday, Garrett produced just the 20th game in NFL history in which a player recorded five or more sacks, per Scott Hanson of NFL RedZone.
Myles Garrett Chose to Stay With Browns on Huge Contract Rather Than Continue Pushing for Trade
Garrett’s emotions are understandable, as the Browns defense has been a strong unit again this season, while its offense continues to struggle mightily.
That said, Garrett bears responsibility for some of his own misery. He publicly requested a trade from the franchise during the offseason, saying he wanted to go somewhere that he could compete for a Super Bowl.
But Garrett later chose to sign on the dotted line when Cleveland came to him with a four-year extension worth $160 million total, which keeps him under contract through his age-35 season in 2030.
Browns Offense Continues to Struggle Under Leadership of Rookie QB Dillon Gabriel
Garrett also said during the offseason that he wasn’t interested in being a part of another rebuild, though that’s exactly what is happening in Cleveland in 2025.
To the Browns’ credit, the team appears to have done reasonably well with regards to its rookie draft class. Five of the seven players the franchise selected back in April have earned regular starting roles, including linebacker Carson Schwesinger, defensive tackle Mason Graham, running back Quinshon Judkins, tight end Harold Fannin Jr. and quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Also among the rookie class are quarterback Shedeur Sanders and running back Dylan Sampson.
Unfortunately most rookie QBs struggle early on, which has been the case for Gabriel. The offense is averaging just 17.5 points per game during his four starts. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported Sunday that the team is definitely going to use one, or both, of its first-round draft picks in 2026 to select another rookie QB next April.
Next year’s class of signal-callers is both better at the top and deeper than was the group of quarterbacks that came out in 2025, but the notion of moving on to yet another rookie at the game’s most important position next year doesn’t bode particularly well for Cleveland’s immediate prospects.
And the defense got bad news on Sunday where its rookie resurgence is concerned, as Schwesinger left the contest with an ankle injury that could ultimately land him on the injured reserve list (IR).
“Browns LB Carson Schwesinger, one of the best rookies in a stellar class, is believed to have suffered a high-ankle sprain, source said,” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported. “He’ll have an MRI, but those are typically 4-6 week injuries. He left the locker room in a boot.”
