The assignment is clear for the Washington Commanders in Week 17. Beat the Atlanta Falcons and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
Fortunately, that same clarity extends to how the Commanders can win the game on the field at Northwest Stadium on Sunday Night Football. Containing running back Bijan Robinson by wrecking the outside zone running play he loves.
Running outside zone is the staple of Atlanta's offense on the watch of coordinator Zac Robinson. The play has helped second-year-pro Robinson rush for 1,196 yards on 259 carries.
Player and scheme form a worrying combination for a Commanders run defense yielding a gaudy 4.9 yards per carry this season. Yet, some hope is provided by how Washington's run defense stiffened against NFL rushing leader Saquon Barkley during the second half of last week's win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Commanders must fill gaps, play downhill and protect the free man
The outside zone is all about forcing defenses to play laterally. Get people moving sideways and then hit them against the grain on a cutback run.
Knowing this, the Commanders cannot fall into the trap of flowing sideways. Instead, they must play downhill. Attacking in straight lines is the best way to stop this play at source and slow Robinson before he reads the cutback and hits top speed.
Two good ways to facilitate downhill penetration involve narrowing the splits up front and stacking the line. The latter means covering every gap.
Washington's defense can do this by putting defensive tackles Daron Payne, Sheldon Day, and potentially Jonathan Allen head-up over Falcons guards Chris Lindstrom and Matthew Bergeron, and having interior linemen play two gaps. The gaps on either side of each guard.
This would let middle linebacker Bobby Wagner shade the center, Drew Dalman, while outside linebackers Frankie Luvu, who consistently wrecked the Eagles and Barkley, stack outside defensive ends Dante Fowler Jr. and Dorance Armstrong Jr.
By adopting this densely-populated alignment, the Commanders can occupy every member of the Falcons' offensive line. This will prevent linemen like Lindstrom and left tackle, Jake Matthews, from moving off blocks and absorbing defenders at the second level — a crucial component of successful zone runs.
Keeping every offensive lineman (not to mention any tight ends with blocking duty) busy will help the Commanders have a free man to run to the ball. In the example above, the free man would be a safety, likely Jeremy Chinn, as part of an eight-man front.
There are different ways to overload or stack the front. The Commanders could put a lineman over the ball instead of Wagner. Somebody such as natural nose tackle Carl Davis Jr., whose impact was highlighted by NFL Network's Brian Baldinger at the 0:47 mark of this video.
This would leave Chinn and Luvu to force the edge, while Wagner stacks on the line between Davis and Payne. Whichever linebacker plays further off the ball is the free man, protected and kept clean to chase Robinson.
Commanders can't be manipulated by Bijan Robinson
The outside zone is nothing the Commanders haven't seen before, but as Greg Cosell explained for NFL Matchup on ESPN, the Falcons have a lot of ways to manipulate defenses out of run-heavy fronts.
Cosell illustrated one way the Falcons used three receivers to force the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into playing a lighter box. A Bucs defense with six people in the box became easy prey for the interior double teams and mobile outside blockers the Falcons use to eliminate pursuit at the first and second levels.
The Commanders can't deviate from a core plan to overload the line of scrimmage, no matter what personnel they have on the field. Nickel sets should feature three safeties to keep more natural run defenders available even in passing situations. Stacking the slot or nickel corner on the end of the line will also work the same way.
Outnumbering the Falcons up front, playing downhill instead of sideways and keeping a free man to pursue Robinson will lead to a complete game for the Commanders' run defense.
More Commanders news and analysis
feed