Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson stand out in Commanders victory over Bears
Breaking down the performance of Washington’s two running backs and how their roles are becoming more defined.
While the Washington Commanders victory over the Bears was hardly a thrilling game to watch, there were some positive things to takeaway from the game. One of those was the use of the running back group. With rookie Brian Robinson now back on the field after being shot twice in August, we’re starting to see a clear set of roles emerge for each back. J.D. McKissic has been and will continue to be the third down back, which won’t change so I’m not going to focus on him here. But the roles of Robinson and Antonio Gibson are what I want to take a closer look at.
Robinson was set to enter the season as the starting running back before the shooting. Gibson then had to take over as the lead back. But with Robinson now back healthy, Robinson has reclaimed the starting running back role with Gibson’s role shifting to a potentially more dynamic and impactful role. So let's take a look at how each guy got on during the Bears game and what their roles might be going forward.
Brian Robinson
Robinson has been the workhorse back since returning to the field. His frame along with his experience as a running back, having been one his whole career as opposed to Gibson who was a receiver in college, gives him the ability to manage a heavier workload. He received the most carries of the running back group against both the Titans and Bears. Against the Bears, Robinson led the team with 17 carries while Gibson had just five. On those 17 carries, we saw more scheme variety and a more natural runner, especially between the tackles. Gibson is primarily a zone runner, which the Commanders use a lot, but Robinson has experience running all sorts of gap schemes at Alabama too.
Because of his experience and history as a running back in a variety of different schemes, Robinson is a better situational runner too. The Commanders needed that against the Bears. Robinson may have only picked up 60 yards rushing at 3.5 yards per carry, but that doesn’t take into account the context of the situation. He was often asked to carry the ball in heavily backed up situations or short yardage situations and in those situations, he did what was required.
Here, the Commanders find themselves backed up near their own end zone. When starting a drive this close to the end zone, the offense has to focus purely on getting some breathing room so that a negative play like a blown up run or a sack doesn’t result in a safety. So, Washington lines up in a run-heavy look with Robinson in the backfield. Robinson takes the carry up the middle, but instantly looks to work outside as the line crashes down inside. However, as he works left, receiver Dax Milne loses control of his block on the linebacker. Robinson doesn’t panic, he simply shows off a strong jump cut to make the linebacker miss.
As Robinson lands after his cut, he’s immediately met by another linebacker scraping to the edge. Robinson instinctively turns his body to make himself as skinny and small a target as possible, which prevents the linebacker from making the play right there. He’s able to break free of that tackle attempt and fall forward before finally being brought down at the five yard line.
It may not seem like much, but that five yards of space is huge for an offense backed up near its own end zone. It allows the coordinator to significantly expand the playbook and work into different looks knowing they have that little bit of extra breathing room. This wasn’t the only situation in which Robinson picked up a short number or yards but contextually it was a much bigger gain than it looked on the stat sheet.
This time, the Commanders face a third and one situation. Robinson being a big, powerful back makes him a terrific candidate for these types of plays, but on this one, it’s his vision rather than his brute strength that help him convert. Robinson aligns in the pistol behind Wentz and takes the hand off from Wentz’s right side before working to the left side of the line. As soon as he gets level with Wentz and the ball hits his stomach, he can see the lane he wants to take. Some backs with his power might have just run this straight up the middle and tried to bulldoze their way to pick up a yard, but Robinson shows good vision to notice that left tackle Charles Leno has kicked out the edge defender while left guard Andrew Norwell has sealed off the defensive tackle inside. Robinson immediately adjusts his path to work to the lane created by Leno and Norwell and comfortably picks up the yard required to convert.
Again, it was just a short gain, but the situation required him to get a yard and he got more than what was needed, so it was a job well done. Later on in the game, the Commanders used Robinson’s short yardage ability to score what would end up being the game-winning touchdown.
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