3 problems the Commanders must address before Week 5 vs. Browns

Commanders must have offensive balance

Kliff Kingsbury has been getting a lot of praise for his recent game plans, and with good cause. The Washington Commanders' offense has been a juggernaut over the last three weeks. One of the main reasons for this has been its balance.

In each of the three wins, a different wide receiver led the team in yardage. Washington may not have a second elite wideout after Terry McLaurin, but if they continue to get production from the likes of Olamide Zaccheaus, Luke McCaffrey, and Noah Brown, that will prevent opposing defenses from ganging up on the Pro Bowl pass-catcher.

The Commanders also have three different runners gain at least 30 yards on the ground in each of its victories. Brian Robinson Jr., Jayden Daniels, and either Austin Ekeler or Jeremy McNichols have all made big plays in the running game.

That in turn means that defenses can’t key on one player. Over the past few seasons, if Robinson was out of the game, the defense could be fairly certain the Commanders were throwing the ball. They cannot count on that now, provided Ekeler and McNichols continue their hot start.

Daniels is always a threat, which further opens up the middle of the field for both runs and passes.

We have seen this happen already in 2024. The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs have either lost valuable weapons on offense or have seen those weapons’ production drop. But their units continue chugging along.

If you have a good quarterback, it is sometimes better to surround him with a wide group of solid players instead of one or two stars. That balance makes the best of defenses struggle. If the Commanders can maintain that balance, even the Cleveland Browns' strong defense will have trouble stopping them.

Washington is a 3.0-point favorite in Week 5. Given the typical three-point home field boost, that suggests despite the records, oddsmakers see this as virtually even. The Commanders need another strong effort to improve to 4-1 and remain on top in the NFC East.

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