3 reasons Commanders should be taken seriously in NFC playoff race

2. Offensive identity is conducive to playoff football

The Commanders running game has been breaking out of late, and it spearheaded their unlikely upset of the Eagles on Monday night. In that game, Washington rushed 49 times for 152 yards and two touchdowns. They only managed 3.1 yards per carry, but that number is skewed due to the ridiculous volume.

If you watched the game you know Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson were influential in upsetting the Eagles. That’s huge for the Commanders because pounding the rock is a staple of playoff football. Even though it largely feature’s the game’s best passers, you can’t survive the playoffs without a running game.

On Sunday, Robinson and Gibson — and even Curtis Samuel — did whatever they wanted against the Texans’ bottom-barrel run D.

Robinson took 15 carries for 57 yards, good for 3.8 yards per attempt; the rookie’s most efficient outing of the year. Gibson, however, led the way with 72 yards on 18 carries, equating to a passable 4.0 yards per attempt.

It stinks J.D. McKissic is done for the year, but Robinson and Gibson are two physical backs defenses will want no part of tackling once the climate drops in the weeks and months to come. You’d be hard-pressed to name five running back committees that look more dangerous than Gibson and Robinson.