The Washington Commanders’ rushing offense is struggling, and the reason isn’t whose fault you think it is
The Commanders need help to get the running game going again.
The Washington Commanders have been one of the top rushing teams in the league, but the blueprint is out on how to stop them, and it’s not the fault of the offensive line or the running backs.
The team made a lot of changes in both the offensive line and the running backs’ room, and once things finally settled, the running game started to click at a high level. The Commanders have been a top-3 rushing team for a majority of the season, but now it’s starting to take a dip, and the blueprint is out, and the Dallas Cowboys showed it.
The Commanders had 136 yards on the ground against the Cowboys, which was the third-lowest of the season, and it followed a trend of the season of success rate against a little box percentage on defense.
Commanders’ rushing success comes against the light box
The blueprint is out, and defenses are going to go away from having a light box against the Commanders’ offense. A light box means there are six or fewer players from each end of the line of scrimmage, and five yards or fewer in depth behind the line. The Commanders’ worst four rushing games of the season were also against the lowest light box percentages they faced this season, and all of them were under 40%.
The Cowboys also loaded up with eight or more players in the box at the highest rate this season, at 35.5%, and the Commanders’ running backs only had 67 yards on 18 carries. This isn’t the running back’s fault, though; teams can play heavier in the box because there’s no fear of the Commanders’ wide receivers right now.
Commanders’ passing game is killing the run
Defenses have no problem playing in single coverage in the secondary and playing heavier in the box because the Commanders’ wide receiver room is mostly on the injury list and not the field. Terry McLaurin has been out for four weeks, Noah Brown is on IR, and Deebo Samuel missed the last game with a lingering bruised heel.
Jayden Daniels is special, but there’s only so much you can do with Chris Moore, Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane, and Robbie Chosen as your wide receiver corps. Defenses are selling out to the run, and it’s forcing the wide receivers to beat them, which won’t happen, especially with the defense as the liability.
The Commanders need to get healthy and get their top weapons back, including Daniels, who is dealing with his own hamstring injury, or teams will continue to play in a heavy box and stop the run. The Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks, and Detroit Lions all have a good defense, and happen to be the next three games for the Commanders.
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