Getting Brian Robinson Jr. back to form
The Washington Commanders do not have runners with elite speed and power like Derrick Henry or Saquon Barkley of the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles respectively.
Nor do they have running backs with the elusiveness of the Detroit Lions' Jahmyr Gibbs or Tampa Bay Buccaneers' rookie Bucky Irving, who they'll be looking to stop this weekend at Raymond James Stadium.
However, they have powerful ball carriers who run with great forward lean and tend to gain a few extra yards after contact. That has defined Brian Robinson Jr.’s game since he entered the league as a third-round pick out of Alabama in 2022. That has not been the case over he latter part of the 2024 season.
Through his first nine games — I’m excluding the first Dallas Cowboys contest he left early with an injury — Robinson was carrying the ball 15 times and gaining about 70 rushing yards. That works out to an average of almost 4.7 yards per carry.
Kliff Kingsbury can work wonders with that kind of production from his lead back. But in the last four games, those numbers have plummeted.
In those games, Robinson is carrying the ball 12 times and gaining just 40 yards for a paltry 3.3 yards per attempt. No offense can thrive with those numbers, not in the regular season or when things get tighter in the playoffs.
Why has his yards per carry dropped by almost a yard-and-a-half? I have blamed the offensive line for poor play of late, but any problem like this is a teamwide issue. Kingsbury must find a comprehensive solution to avoid an early postseason exit.
For context, Washington has won all four of those games, and their rushing totals have looked very good. They have won largely due to the inferior play of opposing offenses. Their rushing numbers continue to look good on paper almost entirely due to the play of of their quarterback.
That must change in the playoffs. And the Commanders must find a way to get Robinson back into the sort of form fans become accustomed to seeing earlier in the campaign.