The Commanders finally did the one thing that they needed to, and it paid off in a massive way with a statement win against the Raiders
The Commanders stuck with it, and it paid off in a big way.
The Washington Commanders needed to bounce back and show they’re still a top team, and that’s what they did against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
The best way to make a statement is by setting the tone and dictating the pace of the game on offense. One of the biggest keys to the game with Marcus Mariota getting the start at quarterback was getting back to the one thing that’s worked, running the ball.
The Commanders commit to the running game again
The Commanders started the season with a dominant run game against the New York Giants and rushed for 220 yards, but for whatever reason, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury got away from it in the ugly loss to the Green Bay Packers and only had 51 yards on the ground. Even with Austin Ekeler out for the season, they stuck to the run game and finished with 201 yards once again.
We heard that it would be a running back committee, and we got a good look at how the offense will mix things up with multiple players getting a chance.
The new running back committee
The offense had five different players rush the ball against the Raiders, and Kingsbury showed that he will be creative and give everyone a chance to make a big play. Chris Rodriguez Jr. started the game and got the party started with an opening drive that set the tone and eventually led to Mariota getting a touchdown on the ground.
Rookie Bill Croskey-Merritt saw the field next and finished with eight carries for 26 yards and another touchdown to add to his resume this season. The most impressive showing on the ground, however, came out of nowhere from Jeremy McNichols, who showed that he is a true threat on the ground as well after he mowed through multiple defenders before taking a carry 60 yards to the house.
The game was 10-10 at the time, but it didn’t feel close, and someone needed to put points on the board, and McNichols kicked the door wide open.
Dropping 40 points on any opponent isn’t easy, especially with your backup quarterback, but that’s what the Commanders did to a Raiders defense that only allowed 16.5 points through the first two games. A major part of the scoring came from the run game, which had three touchdowns and averaged 6.3 yards per carry.
That’s the perfect recipe for winning games, and hopefully, Kingsbury remembers this game and sticks with the run the rest of the season, even when Jayden Daniels comes back from his knee injury.
Washington Commanders News
The Commanders are making a much-needed change at a position to repair a decision that backfired already this season
The Commanders are making a change that had to happen.
