Burgundy & Gold Reaction: Time To Panic?

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October 31, 2025

by David Earl

Showing Against The Chiefs

We are not one for moral victories at The Hog Sty, so I am not about to break away from that script here, but there was good to take away from this game. Entering halftime, the Kansas City Chiefs were held to 7 points and quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw interceptions on back-to-back drives for the first time in his career. Granted, one came off the deflection of his own tight end, Travis Kelce, so that was not entirely Mahomes’ fault. The Chiefs’ offense had been averaging 6.3 yards per play and Mahomes had an average passer rating of 114.5 the previous 3 weeks entering this Monday night matchup. By halftime, Washington’s defense had allowed 5.3 yards per play and Mahomes had a 31.7 passer rating, with 2 interceptions and a 53% completion percentage. Considering that Washington’s defense had allowed 6.1 yards per play and a passer rating of 105 the previous 3 weeks, the start of this game was very encouraging as they provided hope for this team to maybe steal a win.

Unfortunately, Washington’s offense in the first half of this game that was good and ugly.  They averaged 6.1 yards per play against a Chiefs defense that allowed 5.2 yards per play the previous 3 weeks. Kliff Kingsbury took full advantage of a somewhat struggling Chiefs pass defense that had allowed a passer rating of 100.4 the previous 3 weeks. Quarterback Marcus Mariota finished the first half with a 99.8 passer rating, completing 82% of his passes. The unfortunate part of the first half was their inability to run – Washington averaged 3 yards per carry and had a poorly played pass by wide receiver Deebo Samuel that resulted in an interception. Washington’s inability to convert opportunities from the Chiefs miscues plus some coaching decisions such as passing up on points by being too aggressive on 4th down against a great team like the Chiefs hurt the team. Before you say, “Well that’s been their identity under Dan Quinn,” you need to realize Washington has not been nearly as effective on 4th down this season as they were in 2024, converting 45.5% this year while they lead the league last season with an 86.4% conversion rate. Coaching decisions should factor not only that disparity from last year but also understand how this team’s chemistry has been hampered by injuries thus you take the points against a great defensive team.

The second half was the polar opposite – Patrick Mahomes finished the game with a 104.9 passer rating after just a terrible start to the game. After finishing the first half, averaging 5.2 yards per play, the Chiefs ended the game averaging 6.4 yards per play with included them averaging 4.9 yards per rush as Washington’s run defense continued to unravel. The second half was really an inevitable outcome as the Chiefs talent simply outshined that of Washington; plus, their coaching is simply superior to Washington’s. When you fail to capitalize on early Chiefs’ turnovers and a strong performance from the defense of Washington against a championship pedigree team like the Chiefs ,that will rarely ever bode well in the end. So yes, Washington hung tough early and truly did not embarrass themselves on prime time, it is evident that this team is a lot further away from being a contender than many thought in the offseason.

Crucial Game Against Seattle

Washington entering this week 3-5 with the Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos in two of their following 3 games, they are in a must win situation against a formidable opponent. The once league leading rushing attack at 5.9 yards per rush, Washington’s offense has managed a mere 4.1 yards per rush these last three games. This decline could not have happened at a worse time, since they will face the league’s best rush defense.  Seattle has allowed only 3.3 yards per attempt and a ridiculous 2.9 yards per attempt over the last 3 games. Seattle is susceptible against the pass, though, having allowing a 65.2% completion percentage (ranked 15th) and an overall passer rating of 94.4 over the last 3 games. Their defense has been slightly better rushing the passer, being ranking 9th in the league with a 8.15% sack rate over the last 3 games. Since they are so effective against the run, Seattle is ranked 3rd allowing 4.7 yards per offensive play and ranked 2nd allowing only 9 yards per completion. So, Washington has such an incredibly small window of potential success as they will need to be effective in the short passing game with yards after the catch and utilizing the screen game as an extension to their run game.

Unfortunately, Seattle’s offense does not provide any area of hope against this Washington defense. Seattle is ranked 5th in points, averaging 27.6 points per game, and is ranked 3rd in average yards per play at 6.0, including 6.4 over the previous 3 weeks. They have also completed 67.9% of their passes and have a team passer rating of 106 and averaging a league best 12.9 yards per reception. The only silver lining for Washington’s defense is that Seattle is averaging 3.7 yards per rush attempt, which is ranked 31st in the league.  That having been said, Washington has been terrible in recent weeks against the run.

If Washington even wants to have a chance steeling a victory this Sunday, they will need to find a way to contain wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He is averaging 16.4 yards per reception with four of his seven games eclipsing 120 yards receiving. If Washington can successfully contain Smith-Njigba, especially from a big play over the defense, they can focus more on applying pressure on Sam Darnold. If they can force a few miscues and the Washington offense actually taking advantage, there could be a small window of opportunity to pull off an upset. With the schedule of games ahead of Washington, this game is a must win for any chance to make the playoffs against one of the best teams in the league.

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