Key run game adjustment saved Commanders defense vs Falcons

Breaking down a key adjustment that helped save the Commanders run defense against the Falcons

The Commanders defense had a big issue stopping the run against the Falcons on Sunday. In the first half, the Falcons were able to run almost at will. Bijan Robinson had 14 carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. Back up Tyler Allgeier had an additional three carries for 19 yards, bringing their first half rushing total to 17 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns at an average of 5.94 yards per carry.

Yet in the second half, things changed drastically. Robinson had just three carries in the second half for a total of eight yards, Allgeier didn’t receive a single handoff and the biggest run of the half came on a jet sweep to Ray-Ray McCloud for 14 yards, bringing the Falcons second half total to four rushes for 22 yards. That is quite the turn around, so what was the problem for the Commanders in the first half and how did they fix it in the second? Let’s dive into it.

There were two main problems with the run game in the first half. Early on, the Falcons generated a ton of push on the interior by getting double teams on the defensive tackles constantly. They were able to work a bunch of inside zone and duo runs just driving Washington’s defensive tackles off the ball with good double teams up front. The Commanders adjusted by shifting their front so that it wasn’t as easy to get those double teams, which worked to an extent. But that's when the second and arguably biggest issue came up.

The Commanders really struggled to set an edge in the first half. They consistently got beat on the edge, enabling the Falcons running backs to take the run outside and turn the corner.

Here’s a great example of the issue on the edge. On this play, the Falcons run a wide zone scheme to their right. They send a receiver in motion and have Drake London line up almost as a tight end so that he can sift back across the line and out to the flat to fake a bootleg. The Falcons run this to their weak side, meaning away from the tight end. This means that Dante Fowler is responsible for setting the edge and forcing the run back inside to the rest of the defense. However, Fowler is too focused on being a pass rusher and trying to get up the field. The right tackle is able to widen and knock him outside, preventing Fowler from containing the run on the edge.

With the containment lost, the Commanders need someone else to make up for Fowler’s error. Unfortunately, the slot corner was distracted by the receiver in motion and linebacker Frankie Luvu committed inside too much and got sealed inside by the right guard. This all combines to give the running back a clear lane to the edge. Tyler Allgeier takes that lane and bursts through the line of scrimmage untouched and into the second level. He picks up six yards before being brought down.

The Falcons identified the edges from the Commanders in the run game as a potential weak point and so they called more plays to attack it.

This play is another wide zone scheme, but it’s a slight variation of the one we just saw. This is often referred to as “Zorro” in the Shanahan tree. Before the snap, the tight end aligns to the left but is sent in motion to the right side. The ball is snapped just as the tight end clears the quarterback and he uses that momentum to almost insert into the blocking scheme. His job is to secure the inside shoulder of the right tackle, allowing the tackle to be extra aggressive in working wider to try and create more movement. You can see at the snap how the right tackle gets a good three steps in before making contact with Fowler, taking him wide already. Then the tight end joins in and gets a strong shove to force Fowler even wider.

This takes away Fowler’s ability to secure the edge and force the run back inside, which causes a ton of issues for the rest of the defense. You can see how the second level defenders all rush to try and get outside to try and adjust for Fowler getting kicked out so far, but that just creates more space for the back to work with. As Bijan Robinson works through the line of scrimmage, he has so many options available to him. He could cut his run back behind the tight end and wide receiver blocking on the second level, or he could cut his run back behind the right guard. But ultimately, he doesn’t need to cut his run back at all because his path to the edge is clear. Robinson takes the run outside and turns the corner, picking up eight yards before being forced out of bounds.

Just a few plays later, Robinson had his second touchdown run of the game and the issue remained the same.