Washington Football Team: Studs and duds from Week 2 loss to Cardinals

4 of 9

GLENDALE, ARIZONA – SEPTEMBER 20: Running back Antonio Gibson #24 of the Washington Football Team dives into the end-zone past safety Chris Banjo #31 of the Arizona Cardinals to score a 11 yard rushing touchdown during the second half of the NFL game at State Farm Stadium on September 20, 2020 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Washington Football Team 30-15. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Stud 2: RBs Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic

Though Washington’s blocking wasn’t particularly good, they did get a strong performance out of a couple of their running backs.

Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic both played well for Washington and helped to key the team’s offense in the second half. Gibson was treated as the lead back during this contest while McKissic was more of a change-of-pace option that ended up creating some big plays for Washington.

Gibson’s day was most notable because he led the team in carries with 13 and scored the first touchdown of his career. The score was a thing of beauty, as Gibson was able to use his burst at the point of attack to hit a lane opened by the offensive line, follow his blocks to solidify the game, and then at the goal-line, he was able to power his way through a couple of tacklers to get in the end-zone.

Here’s a look at the play, courtesy of the Washington Football Team Twitter account.

https://twitter.com/WashingtonNFL/status/1307817183360225280

That was a nice play for Gibson, and it demonstrates what he can be capable of as he develops. He should continue to rip off some nice chunk runs like this, and his versatility and combination of power and speed should make him a quality starter for Washington.

As for McKissic, he was able to use his speed to total 53 yards on eight carries. He was able to slip some tackles and the more that he had the ball in his hands, the better the Washington offense operated. He should continue to see 10 or so touches per game because of his explosiveness, and he especially helped move the ball down toward the red-zone.

Gibson and McKissic proved to be more effective than Peyton Barber was running the ball last week, and their ability to get over 100 rushing yards combined was a boon for the offense. It will be interesting to see if this type of split continues moving forward, but either way, they were two of the biggest offensive studs on Sunday, especially in the second half.

Home/Commanders News