Hogs Haven
Washington fans have talked about the Commanders offense lately as if Kliff Kingsbury has abandoned the run. Far from it. Washington is 2nd in the NFL in rushing yards per game — and that is despite the fact that Kliff did actually abandon the run in Week 2 vs Green Bay when Washington running backs had only 12 carries for 34 yards.
In the other three games this season, Washington has rushed for a total of 568 yards — an average of 189 yards per game. In the three non-Green Bay games, Kingsbury’s offense has rushed for 220, 201, and 147 yards.
All three backs have contributed heavily. For the season, Bill has 172 yards and 2 touchdowns at an average of 5.9 yards per carry. Jeremy McNichols is the ypc leader at 10.6, with 106 total rush yards and a TD. Chris Rodriguez, playing in just two games so far, has 98 yards at 5.4 yards per carry.
Unlike 2024, the Commanders run game has not really been QB-dependent in 2025. That said, the QBs are integral to the overall rushing attack; Jayden Daniels has rushed for 85 yards at 4.7 ypc, while Marcus Mariota has added 60 yards at 7.5 ypc.
The Chargers are more of a passing team — unusual for an offense designed by offensive coordinator Greg Roman, but an obvious recognition of the arm talent of Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.
Herbert’s season has been a tale of two halves through September. In his first two outings, he completed over 71% of his passes, throwing for 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. In the two most recent games, one of them a road loss to the then-0-3 Giants, Herbert completed under 58% of his attempts, throwing 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. The difference seems to be related to the amount of pressure applied by opposing pass rush. This past Sunday, the Giants pressured Herbert on more than 50% of his dropbacks.
The health of the Chargers offensive line is relevant here. Both of the team’s planned starting tackles, Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, are out at the moment. Backup LT Austin Deculus is considered particularly vulnerable. If Joe Whitt can scheme up some pressure from Washington’s defensive unit, that may help mask the deficiencies that have been obvious in the Commanders’ secondary through 4 games in which they have surrendered an average of 246 passing yards per game — ranked 27th in the NFL.
With a season-ending injury to RB Najee Harris, the running game duties have fallen to rookie Omarion Hampton. He stepped up with 128 yards and a rushing TD in the loss to the Giants on Sunday, though he had only 14 rush yards at halftime. Playing from behind, the Chargers leaned into the run game in the second half last week with Hampton breaking a 54-yard TD scamper when Los Angeles was trailing by 11 points. He also had an incredible 18-yard run on 3rd & 1 when he was hit behind the...
