Matt Jones Will Be Held Out Of London Game With Knee Injury
Matt Jones’ knee injury is going to keep him out of the Washington Redskins Week 8 game. How will the team compensate for his loss?
The Washington Redskins are going to be without a key member of their offense on Sunday in London. It was announced that the team will be without their starting running back Matt Jones. Jones had been dealing with a knee injury this week and had previously been questionable. The news came via the Redskins Twitter account and Jay Gruden.
Gruden says #Redskins RB Matt Jones will be OUT for game vs. Bengals.
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) October 28, 2016
The Redskins will miss Jones a bit during Sunday’s game, but at the end of the day his absence will likely not be a huge deal.
Jones has had some solid performances over the course of the season. He has rushed for over 100 yards in a couple of games, but his performance against the Lions last week left a lot to be desired. Jones was unofficially responsible for three fumbles and that cost the Redskins some points. He was unable to get much going on the ground too, and averaged a paltry 2.7 yards per carry. He was even benched for a time in favor of Chris Thompson.
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With all that said, it could be good for Jones to get a couple of weeks off to clear his head. His confidence has to be shaken after that contest, and he is not fully healthy. Resting him two weeks should do him good both physically and mentally.
In his stead, the Redskins will use a two back attack of the aforementioned Thompson and rookie Robert Kelley. Kelley is a big wild card for the team. The undrafted free agent has looked strong through the preseason and in limited action during the early portion of the season. Last week, he scored his first touchdown. Kelley should fare just as well as Jones, and he could end up having a strong game against the Bengals.
I would expect Kelley and Thompson to have a roughly 50-50 split in touches on Sunday. Thompson will play passing downs, but if he can get going between the tackles, he could have a bigger day. Kelley will probably get 10-15 carries depending on game flow. If he converts them into yardage, then he could be given a lot more. It is an unpredictable situation that will definitely be fun to watch.
The Skins did make one other move to compensate for the loss of Jones. The team promoted running back Mack Brown from the practice squad. Brown was stellar during the preseason and he could see a carry or two if both backs ahead of him struggle. I like Brown as a player, so maybe he will do enough to stay on the 53-man roster.