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.”

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

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.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2025 season.

More Washington Commanders News

• Commanders head coach shares Jayden Daniels injury update after Cowboys game

• Commanders add former second-round pick from the 49ers

• Washington Commanders owner speaks out after loss to Dallas Cowboys

• Commanders’ Deebo Samuel just received shocking recognition