The Washington Commanders didn’t have Jayden Daniels nor Austin Ekeler, but they still proved a point about their running game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3. A point made by backup running backs led by Chris Rodriguez Jr. and some schematic wrinkles by offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury to power a “ground and pound” performance.
Rodriguez had the most carries of Washington’s 32 rushing attempts during the 41-24 victory at Northwest Stadium on Sunday, September 21. Although he gained 39 of the Commanders’ 201 yards on the ground, Rodriguez still thinks he helped make a point.
Specifically, the third-year pro told reporters, including ESPN’s John Keim, “We got some boys in the backfield. We can all do everything.”
The endorsement from Rodriguez rings true after fellow backs Jeremy McNichols and breakout rookie, 2025 NFL draft seventh-round pick, Jacory Croskey-Merritt both rushed for touchdowns against the Silver and Black. Their efforts were timely after the Commanders lost prolific veteran Ekeler for the season against the Green Bay Packers in Week 2.
Ekeler was expected to help lead a backfield lacking star power after the Commanders traded starter Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers. Instead, Kingsbury re-established the ground game with some smart concepts executed superbly by a cobbled-together backfield.
Creative Commanders Pummelled Raiders on the Ground
The Commanders committed to the run early with Marcus Mariota replacing Daniels at the controls of Kingsbury’s offense. Mariota’s dual-threat skills prompted Kingsbury to call “the sort of ground-and-pound performance” to compensate for the absences of Daniels and Ekeler, according to The Washington Post’s Tom Schad.
Kingsbury responded to “lingering questions about the effectiveness of Washington’s ground game and line play,” per Schad, by loading the line of scrimmage with bigger personnel and emphasizing the run.
As Commanders analyst Mark Bullock detailed, the Burgundy and Gold “decided to come out with a jumbo package – Scott as 6th OL, multiple TEs and ran the ball 4 straight times for 25 yards.”
The extra brawn up front helped solidify an offensive line pushed around by the Packers. It was also a group dealing with a surprising inactive along the interior for the visit of the Raiders.
Reshuffled personnel didn’t hinder Washington’s ground attack. Not when, as Schad put it, “Behind a reworked offensive line that featured Andrew Wylie at right guard and Chris Paul, surprisingly, at left guard, the Commanders steamrolled defensive end Maxx Crosby and the rest of the Raiders’ front seven en route to a mammoth statistical performance.”
The eye-popping numbers also owed a lot to how Kingsbury mixed up formations and got different runners involved. He didn’t even need a new addition and familiar X-factor to help.
Instead, Kingsbury’s variety was summed up by how, “In just 9 plays they’ve had a snap with 22 personnel, 13 personnel, 30 personnel, unbalanced line, wildcat with Deebo. Crazy diversity right now,” according to Nick Akridge of Pro Football Focus.
Giving multi-purpose wide receiver Deebo Samuel three carries for 18 yards kept the Raiders guessing, but Kingsbury’s strategies wouldn’t have worked without unheralded backs taking the lead.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Co. Answered the Call
Pressure was on after Ekeler tore his Achilles at Lambeau Field, but Rodriguez, Croskey-Merrit and McNichols answered the call. The latter provided the most emphatic answer with his 60-yard touchdown run to break a 10-10 tie late in the first half.
McNichols, a journeyman of the Tennessee Titans, 49ers and others, isn’t known for his speed. Yet, NFL+ credited the 29-year-old with having a hit a top speed of 20.03 MPH on his 60-yard TD run, per Next Gen Stats.
This example of a veteran pushing himself to a new level is just what the Commanders need to stay strong in a depleted running game. Things worked out that way in a key moment to help Mariota thrive, but Daniels will need more of the same from Rodriguez, McNichols and Croskey-Merritt moving forward.
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