Hogs Haven
The Washington Commanders finished their Monday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals, rushing for 185 yards on 30 attempts. Eliminating the quarterback rush attempts, the Commanders averaged six yards per carry on 24 rush attempts. It was an excellent night on the ground for Washington, and their performance comes at a perfect time following the news earlier in the day that their 2024 starting running back, Brian Robinson Jr., was on the trade block and would not play in the game on Monday. The Commanders clearly want more out of the position, and leading up to the game, felt they had an opportunity to grow at the position with players like Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Jacory Croskey-Merritt getting more touches. While the starters and second-team were still in for both teams, the Rodriguez Jr. and Croskey-Merritt combo combined for 94 yards on eight carries.
The Commanders sealed Brian Robinson’s future with the team with the pre-game report, but the running backs’ performances themselves make Washington’s decision to move on look right. John Bates, Josh Conerly Jr., and Andrew Wylie excelled during their time on the field, helping create and seal lanes for both backs to run through untouched on the first level. Granted, there will be more dominant defenses during the regular season than the Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive front, but this is a good starting point to build confidence in Washington’s new look backfield.
You can listen to the full Trap or Dive post-game recap below. We also discussed:
Podcast:
YouTube:
Subscribe to the Trap or Dive Podcast! Available on all podcast platforms
