Washington Football Team’s “next man up” philosophy evident in 2020
Antonio Gibson + J.D. McKissic = The 1-2 combo nobody expected
The human swiss-army-knife. The Weapon. Whatever you want to call him, Antonio Gibson has done it all when his number is called.
After being selected in the third round, which some analysts called a reach, Gibson has done nothing but shine in his rookie year for Washington.
Despite essentially missing all of the Steelers game along with the 49ers game, Gibson is ranked third among running backs in touchdowns with 11 and has the ninth-most broken tackles for running backs. In addition to that, he has 32 receptions for 233 yards.
Lamar Jackson famously joked that he’s “not too bad for a running back.” Well, Gibson is “not too bad for a converted wide receiver.”
If this is Gibson’s floor at the position, I can’t wait to see how his growth continues. He has big-play potential every time he gets his hands on the ball, but according to his quarterback, he also makes the smart plays that can go unnoticed.
"I think the thing that really stands out as the weeks have gone on are the little plays that have gone unnoticed. A lot of times it’s the run when nothing’s really there and [Gibson] still puts his head down and gets four yards."
It was evident to see just how much the offense was missing Gibson’s playmaking ability during the 49ers game. Hopefully, he is able to return soon as Washington pushes towards the playoffs, but J.D. McKissic has done an admirable job filling in the gaps during his injury, along with adding additional wrinkles to the offense when both he and Gibson play.
McKissic is having a career year, having already surpassed his career-high in all-purpose yards, and is one of the gems that Ron Rivera and his staff found in the offseason. McKissic has averaged a healthy 4.53 rushing yards per attempt while adding a major receiving threat in the backfield.
He currently has the second-most receiving yards among running backs, 426 yards on 58 receptions, ranking behind only Alvin Kamara. Not bad company to be in.
While Gibson has been out, McKissic has been doing his best to fill in. Against the Steelers, he had 10 receptions for 70 yards. In the 49ers game, he had 11 carries and averaged 6.18 yards per carry.
McKissic’s versatility is one of the things that Rivera commends him on.
"Well, I think the biggest thing with J.D. is you see his versatility. You see it as a receiver, you see it as a runner. He’s a quality back."
After losing both Derrius Guice and Adrian Peterson in one offseason, a lot of Washington fans were pretty upset, but the Gibson-McKissic duo has done a good job in easing that pain.