Commanders News: Eric Bieniemy, Terry McLaurin, Sam Howell and power rankings
By Dean Jones
Commanders nosedive in ESPN's power rankings
Another game where the Washington Commanders gave up more than 40 points seemed almost inevitable. The Miami Dolphins wasted no time in touching Ron Rivera's defense, moving the football downfield quickly and exposing almost every weakness en route to a convincing triumph.
This confirmed another losing season for Rivera - his fourth in succession since becoming head coach and primary roster builder. Unsurprisingly, this saw the Commanders slump from No. 25 to No. 29 in ESPN's weekly power rankings as a result.
This week's topic was pleasant surprises. Beat writer John Keim highlighted running back Brian Robinson Jr.'s emergence as one of the few bright spots to emerge from the campaign so far.
"There are very few pleasant surprises for Washington, and Robinson was expected to be their lead back, but he has done a nice job catching passes out of the backfield. He had to adapt to a different style of run game that called for more patience; he's developing there and leads the team with 664 yards rushing. As a receiver, Robinson has shown good hands and an ability to win on routes. He leads Washington's backs with 326 receiving yards and averages 11.2 yards per reception."
- John Keim, ESPN
Robinson looks like someone who could become a genuine three-down threat with another offseason of development. He's one of the very few Commanders players to walk away from this season with any sort of respectability.