Jacory Croskey-Merritt already knows what it takes to run over the Dallas Cowboys, and he can help power the Washington Commanders to a Week 2 win over their bitterest NFC East rivals.
Croskey-Merritt will be the Commanders' most important player in their visit to AT&T Stadium. He's set to renew acquaintances with a Cowboys' defense beaten up on the ground by the New York Giants last week.
The Commanders can follow the same formula by building on the positive signs in their running game from Week 1's defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt primed for bounce-back game in Week 2
Croskey-Merritt showed the potential to elevate his game in rookie offensive coordinator David Blough's schemes, but the 2025 seventh-round pick can't risk repeating the familiar mistake he made in Philadelphia.
Turning Croskey-Merritt loose should be Blough's easiest decision this week. He'll have watched the tape and seen how often the Giants muscled the Cowboys off the ball up front.
The Dallas defense surrendered a noteworthy 4.46 yards per rushing attempt on Sunday Night Football. Cam Skattebo led the Giants' attack, averaging 4.5 yards per carry on 18 attempts.
Croskey-Merritt has more than a few reasons to fare even better against these Cowboys. For one thing, 'Bill' offers a greater big-play threat on the ground than Skattebo.
While the latter is a straight-ahead bruiser who punishes defenses between the tackles, Croskey-Merritt takes a different approach. He's a one-cut-and-go runner with the ideal mix of vision and agility to thrive within the zone-style rushing schemes Blough likes to call.
The Cowboys already know all about Croskey-Merritt's ability to stretch the field, from when he sped 72 yards past their defense last Christmas.
72 YARDS 🫨
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 25, 2025
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Jacory Croskey-Merritt must win back Commanders' trust in Week 2
Though he couldn't turn many of Blough's zone runs into similar long gains against the Eagles last week, he still averaged close to four yards per carry against a formidable Philadelphia defensive front.
A few 20-plus-yard runs are possible against the Cowboys if Blough gets Croskey-Merritt cutting off of blocks by dominant right guard Sam Cosmi.
Running behind Cosmi won't be the only way for the Commanders to move the chains. Blough can also overload the line of scrimmage with blocking tight ends, John Bates and Ben Sinnott.
The latter has plenty of room for improvement, especially with starter Chig Okonkwo sidelined. Sinnott's need to improve is also shared by Croskey-Merritt, at least in one key area of the game.
Croskey-Merritt can't afford to put the ball on the ground again, the way he did against the Eagles last week. The fifth fumble of his short career earned the second-year pro a not-so-subtle warning from head coach Dan Quinn.
Trusting Croskey-Merritt doesn't have to be a dilemma for Quinn. Not when the Commanders' boss can turn to rookie power back Kaytron Allen to lead the charge on the ground. There's also versatile veteran Rachaad White.
Both represent compelling alternatives, but Croskey-Merritt is the one member of Washington's backfield who can do the Cowboys extensive and lasting damage.
He's done it before, and this is the ideal moment for the Commanders to let their lead back repeat the trick.
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