The Washington Commanders have their sights set on breaking a few different streaks against the Chiefs as they head into Kansas City for Monday Night Football. The obvious is ending the two-game losing skid, and with that would come Washington's first win over the Chiefs in 42 years and the franchise's first-ever win at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Commanders will attempt to rewrite history without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was ruled out Thursday with a hamstring injury. Along with a different quarterback under center, playing at Kansas City comes with its own unique set of challenges.

In 2014, Arrowhead Stadium set a Guinness World Record for the loudest crowd at an outdoor sports venue when the Chiefs defeated the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots 41-14 in Week 5. The crowd noise reached 142.2 decibels to set the record in the first half of the game as well as a precedent for away teams as the hardest stadium to play in.

For Washington quarterback Marcus Mariota, however, he finds playing at Arrowhead to be exciting. Having played there twice during his time with the Tennessee Titans, Mariota boasts a 2-0 record. He enjoys the energy and atmosphere that comes with playing in Kansas City, although he admits communication can be tricky with the noise at Chiefs Kingdom.

"I love playing there," Mariota said. "It's such a fun atmosphere. The fans are great. It's loud and I truly enjoy it. And at the end of the day, it's going to come down to us being able to communicate. It is a tough environment but at the same time, like that's what you play for. You love these moments, you love these atmospheres, and I'm really looking forward to it."

Because it's so hard to hear through the crowd's roars, false starts and delay of game penalties are common for the opposition in Kansas City. Through the 2024 regular season, opposing teams committed five delay of game fouls and four false starts in eight games at Arrowhead.

This season alone, the Commanders have committed 13 false starts (T-3rd most in the league) and two delay of game penalties in seven games this season, losing a total of 75 yards on those penalties combined. Eleven of those penalties were committed on the road.

Communication issues have plagued the Commanders' offense in its past two weeks and have led to slow starts. Leading up to Monday night's game, getting on the same page during practice is imperative for the offense to succeed.

The Commanders' offense will get a boost at the wide receiver position, as Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel Sr. will be active come Monday night after a full week of practice. McLaurin has missed the past four games with a quad injury, while Samuel was out against the Cowboys in Week 7 with a heel injury. The return of veterans can help streamline communication and tighten up the offense to provide Mariota with more weapons.

While having both McLaurin and Samuel back on the field will give the offense a boost, using injuries as an excuse for a lack of production isn't part of the Commanders' identity either.

"Injuries are not the reason we lost," head coach Dan Quinn said after the Week 6, 44-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. "Others may talk about who we did have and who we didn't have today, and I'm here to say it doesn't matter who you have or who is out when you don't give yourself a chance out there. The turnover margins, penalties, missed tackles and drops; Dallas beat us and we beat ourselves as well, and we're the ones that got ourselves into the hole and we're the same ones who have got to dig ourselves out. Make no mistake; we're not playing to the standards we've set."

Instead of focusing on things outside of their control like injuries, the Commanders are coming together and centering each other on small adjustments. Slow starts and pre-snap penalties are not part of Washington's identity, and the offense knows that. Mariota sees players holding each other accountable and has been helping center the offense on a shared identity of playing hard and fast.

"Well, when it comes down to it, it's looking at each other and doing what you preach," Mariota said. "We talk about brotherhood, we talk about the culture and right now it's being challenged, and I think our guys are willing to step up to that challenge, but it's not just something that you're going to kind of like quietly talk about over here or kind of quietly do over here. It really comes down to everyone just coming together.

"And like I said we have a bunch of guys that have been in these scenarios before, have been in these situations, have played a lot of football, and really when it comes down to it, just leaning in on that experience and believing in one another. And I think, like I said, we have the guys in that locker room to do that."

Between the cutthroat atmosphere at Arrowhead Stadium and the daunting task of breaking through the Chiefs' dominant defense, the Commanders' identity will be put to the ultimate test. Washington's ability to generate offense will come down to its ability to uphold the Commanders' standard with a fast start and strong communication.