Redskins Breakdown: Balanced offense, fierce defense take down Giants

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LANDOVER, MD – NOVEMBER 23: Running back Samaje Perine #32 of the Washington Redskins runs with the ball against outside linebacker Jonathan Casillas #52 of the New York Giants in the third quarter at FedExField on November 23, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

Run Game: Samaje Perine establishes himself as solid lead back

Speaking of the run game, this was a major strength for the Redskins on Thursday. Samaje Perine didn’t look good at all in the first half. He generated only three yards on five carries and couldn’t find any holes. It looked like Damon “Snacks” Harrison was going to help shut him out all night long.

But, in the second half, things changed for Perine. He came out of the gate with a nice gain on an outside zone run. Once he got going, he was able to use his vision to make plays and find space. He ripped off a bunch of 8-to-10 yard runs that got the Redskins ahead of the down markers. While he didn’t have any big, explosive plays, his longest run was 16 yards, he chipped away at the Giants tough defense to open up space. By the end of the day, he had exactly 100 yards on 24 carries.

Moving forward, Perine is definitely the lead back. That’s an obvious statement given the lack of talent they have on the roster at running back right now, but it looks like he might be able to be a lead back for the team beyond this year. Rob Kelley doesn’t appear to be a starter at the NFL level, so pairing Perine and Chris Thompson long term could benefit the Skins. The rest of the year will be a test run for him. But right now, he’s looking good.