The Commanders must solve a glaringly overlooked problem to make postseason noise

Last week we noted that Jayden Daniels played Superman again to lead the Washington Commanders past the Philadelphia Eagles. I suppose it would be a little too easy this week to just say “ditto.”

To be clear, the biggest story in most Commanders games this season is the rookie quarterback. But now that Dan Quinn’s team has locked up a playoff spot, let’s focus on the biggest problem currently plaguing the team.

If they don’t fix this problem before the Wild Card playoffs, their first postseason since 2020 will be very short.

That problem isn’t the defense’s inability to stop the run, which was on full display in the first half against the Atlanta Falcons. Nor is it the sudden rash of penalties that have hurt both sides of the ball. It’s not the dwindling number of offensive linemen, wide receivers and defensive backs — although all of those things could be crucial down the road.

The fact is that the amazingly resilient commanders found ways to overcome all these challenges.

The run defense clamped down. The penalties didn’t exactly go away, but at least they slowed down. Players like Olamide Zaccheaus, Michael Deiter and Quan Martin stepped up in a big way to grab missing teammates.

Commanders must find ways to create momentum on the ground

These problems remain, but they are not the biggest ones facing Washington at the moment.

The biggest thing right now is the offense’s inability to run the ball consistently. To be a little more specific, running backs cannot gain consistent yards.

In terms of raw numbers, Washington’s running offense looks good. The commanders ground out over 200 yards on the ground against the Falcons. They posted an outstanding 6.0 yards per carry. carry and dominated the battle for possession of the time. With those numbers, how could the ground game be a problem?

That’s because, through most of the second half of the season, Washington’s running game has relied almost entirely on Daniels. That can’t continue when the postseason comes around.

Consider these numbers from five games leading up to the Falcons’ contest. I rule out the win over the Tennessee Titans. Admittedly, it was an outstanding performance by the entire Commanders rungame staff. But in the other five games dating back to Nov. 10, Washington running backs have carried the ball 96 times for 290 yards. That equates to an average of 3.0 yards per carry.

The Commanders’ overall rushing numbers don’t look too bad because in those games Daniels has rushed 27 times for 243 yards — an average of 9.0 yards per carry. carry.

Daniels’ numbers are excellent. He broke Robert Griffin III’s record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in his rookie season on the primetime stage. But that won’t be sustainable come the playoffs. Washington desperately needs to find the balanced running attack it offered in the first half of the season.

Washington’s running backs are not to blame for this problem. Brian Robinson Jr., Jeremy McNichols. Chris Rodriguez Jr., and Austin Ekeler before his concussion, have put up tough runs all year. The problem in the second half of the season is that they keep getting hit in the backfield before they even have a chance to find a hole.

Robinson often has to break multiple tackles just to pick up two or three yards. Rodriguez was hit in the backfield on his touchdown run, but was able to power through the tackle attempt.

The next time Washington was down near the goal line against the Falcons, with a chance to put the game on ice, a direct dive by Robinson was blown up behind the line. He lost a yard, and after a team penalty on Sam Cosmi, the Commanders had to settle for a field goal.

Winning teams must be able to drive the ball in from the one-yard line. At least they can’t lose yards on running plays in that situation.

Washington was better in the second half as Robinson had several nice holes to run through. But there is no connection. The Commanders can look potent for a few plays and then revert to the type of running back play we saw in the first half.

In that half, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury had his offense run just eight times. On five of those plays, they managed two yards or less. The totals were boosted by Daniels’ 25-yard scamper. But a running game where more than half the plays are stopped at the line for no more than two yards results in an offense that is constantly playing behind the chains.

The Commanders might have lost this game if first-round quarterback Michael Penix Jr., making just his second NFL start, didn’t miss at least five throws to open receivers. They might have lost if Atlanta’s regular kicker Younghoe Koo was healthy. They could have lost if the overtime coin had gone the other way.

Of course they didn’t.

They won the match and are to be commended for their remarkable resilience. But there’s still a lot of work to do, and that starts with addressing the running game.

It can be hard to tell if the high number of games loaded on the line is the result of a flawed scheme, flawed execution, or a simple lack of physicality. It is probably a combination of all three factors.

Whatever the reason, Kingsbury and run game coordinator Anthony Lynn need to get it fixed soon. While it may not seem like it at times, there is a limit to how often Daniels can save this team.

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