Terry McLaurin knows Commanders have the perfect weapon to make the playoffs and even win a game
The Washington Commanders (8-5) started off the month of December in about the best possible way an NFL team can and a major factor in the blowout win over the Tennessee Titans (3-9) was the offense's rushing attack.From literally the first carry, it was clear Brian Robinson Jr. and co. were going to have a […]
The Washington Commanders (8-5) started off the month of December in about the best possible way an NFL team can and a major factor in the blowout win over the Tennessee Titans (3-9) was the offense's rushing attack.
From literally the first carry, it was clear Brian Robinson Jr. and co. were going to have a big day. The end result was a season-high 267 rushing yards that worked out to 5.9 yards a clip. All three rostered running backs ran for at least 30 yards and each one of them averaged at least 5.0 yards per carry. Jayden Daniels chipped in 34 yards and a touchdown of his own to go along with rushing touchdowns from Robinson Jr. and Chris Rodriguez.
The old NFL adage is you have to run the ball in order to win games in December and January and that's exactly what we saw from the Commanders on Sunday. It's been a strength of theirs for the majority of the season, but recently went through some struggles against tough defenses like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles.
The Titans were well-known for their interior run defense coming into the game, so it's obviously very encouraging to see the Commanders just dominate the line of scrimmage.
And when you have a tone-setter like Robinson Jr. to add into the mix, it's a potent attack that can easily help Washington continue its playoff push and even help the franchise win its first playoff game in nearly two decades.
"He's huge for our team. When you got a guy like that, who you got to tackle him for four quarters, it could be a long day for you," Terry McLaurin said of Robinson Jr. after the Commanders' Week 13 win. "And he always seems to find a way to fall forward. He gets the tough yards. He can break away. He's a finisher and I think that weighs on a team over the course of a game. To see him break away like that, especially [since] he's been banged up the last few weeks, he's one of the toughest guys I've been around. [It's] not just the way he plays, but [it's also] his mentality, the way he approaches the game, the way he takes care of his body…
"… I respect the hell out of B-Rob, because no matter what he's faced in his life, no matter what he's up against, he comes out on the other side stronger, and we all feel that."
Per Next Gen Stats, Robinson Jr. is currently tied for 11th when it comes to rush yards over expected per carry (+0.5) out of running backs with at least 120 rushing attempts. His +0.3 EPA/carry is fifth-best and so is his 45.7% success rate. Lastly, his mark of 4.6 yards per carry is tied for 10th-best.
But he's not just an efficient runner – he's a tone-setter. When Robinson gets going, the Commanders offense is almost impossible to stop. Not only because it's a good scheme that has the right players in place, but because the team feeds off his play and opponents, as McLaurin mentioned, don't want the smoke when the fourth quarter rolls around.
"You get into this part of the season where you gotta be able to move the line of scrimmage [and] control the line of scrimmage," Daniels told reporters. "Week-in and week-out, day-in and day-out, you know, that's kind of hard. We gotta go out there and help each other make plays and sacrifice some things that might be selfish reasons, but ultimately will help us win…
"… [It] opens up a lot. I mean, obviously, to be able to get guys to move the line of scrimmage and get to the second level. Let our backs do what they do. You know, we're getting to those times of the season where December, January, you gotta be able to control the trenches and run the ball."
The best part for the Commanders is the fact this is week is their bye week. With some extra time to rest up and maybe add a couple of wrinkles, the ground game should be poised and ready to carry the team toward a playoff berth and even play a legitimate spoiler role when things kick off in mid-January.
