Daily Slop – 14 Oct 23: To win on Sunday, Washington has to stop Bijan Robinson

A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East and the NFL in general

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Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)

How the Commanders could try to slow down Falcons run game

Breaking down the Falcons run game and the different ways the Commanders could look to stop it

[T]he biggest threat to the Commanders on Sunday will likely be rookie running back Bijan Robinson, who[m] the Falcons selected eighth overall this year. Robinson is tied eighth in the NFL in rushing yards with 364 and is averaging 72.8 yards per game at 5.4 yards per carry.

The Commanders are the ninth worst team in the NFL for rush defense, surrendering an average of 133.6 yards per game on the ground. So on paper, this could be a tough matchup for Washington’s defense. So what can the defense expect from the Falcons’ rushing attack and how might they try to counter it?

When these zone schemes are allowed to be run the way they want to with offensive lineman combining on double teams to generate movement or reaching and cutting off defenders, they will typically be successful. So how can the Commanders manage to keep the Falcons from running all over them with their base zone scheme? Well, the key is to prevent those offensive lineman from getting those combination blocks. There’s a few ways to do this. The first way I suspect the Commanders will try is to use their five defensive lineman package, known as the cinco package.

On this play, we see the Texans defense use a five defensive lineman package similar to the one the Commanders will use. With an extra defensive lineman on the line of scrimmage, it’s much harder for zone teams to create those combination blocks. You can see as the Falcons run to the right side here that the center, right guard and right tackle all have to face blocks one-on-one, which makes things significantly harder for them. The nose tackle even stunts across the face of the center just to make sure he can’t try and help the right guard.

Because the offensive line isn’t able to generate combination blocks, or double teams, they struggle to generate much movement or cut off the back side of the defense. This means Robinson is forced to cut his run back into a very crowded area and the Texans are able to rally to the ball and make the tackle for a minimal gain.

The Commanders do like to deploy their cinco package with John Ridgeway at nose tackle in between Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen, so I suspect we could see plenty of that look against the Falcons on Sunday to try and prevent those combination blocks from occurring.

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Riggo’s Rag

3 players the Commanders must keep quiet at Falcons in Week 6

Bijan Robinson is one of three players the Washington Commanders must keep quiet when they face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6.

Commanders must focus on Bijan Robinson

He’s only in his rookie season, but Bijan Robinson already looks like one of the most dynamic running backs in the NFL. The player taken No. 8 overall in this year’s draft is averaging 5.4 yards per carry, which is a testament to how well he’s adjusted.

Robinson also has six broken tackles to his credit, per Pro Football Reference. That number should serve as a warning to Washington defenders who failed to consistently bring players down during Week 5’s bitterly disappointing 40-20 defeat to the Chicago Bears. It will take a team effort to stop the former Texas phenom in his tracks.

The Commanders will also need to be mindful of Robinson’s threat as a receiver. He showcased his potential for big plays in the passing game with this one-handed touchdown grab against the Houston Texans last week.

Finding the right matchup for Robinson isn’t easy, but assigning Kamren Curl to spy the runner from the box and in space might work. The problem is beleaguered defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio may feel he needs to leave the versatile safety deep to help double Atlanta’s other main weapon.

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Commanders.com

Practice notes | Efe Obada QUESTIONABLE for Sunday vs. Falcons

Defensive lineman Efe Obada, who has been on the Injured Reserve list since the start of the 2023 season, was back at practice this week and listed as questionable ahead of the Commanders’ Week 6 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

“He’s progressing very nicely,” coach Ron Rivera said of Obada on Wednesday. “He’s been around, he’s been in the meetings, he’s been out watching the walkthroughs, so his mental take of it is very good.”

Obada’s return could provide a boost to the defensive front ahead of their matchup with Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, who is tied for ninth in the league with 364 rushing yards. While several of his highlights have come as a pass-catcher — he has 21 receptions on 24 targets for 146 yards and two touchdowns — he’s still shown impressive quickness and vision for a rookie running back.

Obada’s value comes from his position flexibility. He primarily lines up at defensive end, but he also has the physicality and toughness to play between the tackles. His speed and ability to cover space quickly could help the Commanders as they try to keep Robinson in check and crash the pocket on quarterback Desmond Ridder, who has been sacked 16 times and struggles at times to complete passes while under pressure. His completion rate in such circumstances is 19th among quarterbacks.

“Once they cleared him to start conditioning, he’s been doing a great job at that,” Rivera said. “‘He really has. So, he was out at practice today, moved around very, very well. We’re really pleased.”

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Sports Illustrated

Washington Commanders D-Line Presents Challenge for Atlanta Falcons QB Desmond Ridder

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder is praising the Washington Commanders defensive line.

Ridder’s Falcons have racked up three wins this season, all at home, which helps their chances on Sunday … but there’s one major obstacle he’ll have to face.

“The front four … They pay those guys a lot of money to get out to the quarterback and they do a great job of that,” Ridder said.

He’s right — Washington has a ton invested in its front four, and it is the motor of the defense, if not the entire team. Edge rushers Chase Young and Montez Sweat are both athletic freaks with continuously improving polish, and defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne are freaks in their own right. As far as starting units go, there may be no better group in football.

“It’ll be a great challenge to our front five up front,” Ridder said. “And then a little banged up in the back end, so they’re rotating a whole bunch of guys, but they’ve done a great job of kind of being savvy, letting everything be underneath, and kind of attacking the ball.”

The Commanders defense has struggled mightily this season, giving up over 30 points in each of the last four games, including 40 against the Chicago Bears last week on Thursday Night Football. However, if the defensive line can give a young quarterback like Ridder some pressure, it could be the end of the Commanders losing streak.

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Commanders.com

Three keys to Washington getting a win over the Falcons

Avoid being forced to be one-dimensional on offense.

The Commanders called 55 consecutive pass plays without a run during their Thursday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears. Part of that was because they were down 27-3 by halftime, but that simply cannot continue if they hope to be a successful offense.

There are a few ways the Commanders can avoid that. They want to be balanced, and that will require them to run the ball at a more consistent clip, particularly in the first half. The best example of that came against the Philadelphia Eagles, as the Commanders had 15 carries compared to 17 pass attempts from Sam Howell. As a result, the Commanders were up 17-10 at halftime.

Eric Bieniemy said “of course” he would like to get Brian Robinson Jr. and the running game more involved. In order to do that, though, the Commanders need to have more success earlier in games. Against the Bears, for example, Washington was down 17-0 in the second quarter, making it much more difficult to justify running the ball when they needed to score quickly.

Should the Commanders manage to get out to a fast start and get in the end zone on their opening drive, it will be a first for the Falcons. They have only allowed three points on opponents’ starting possessions, and that came last week against the Houston Texans.

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Washington Post (paywall)

Stats of the week: The Falcons are unlike any other NFL team

The Atlanta Falcons (3-2) don’t play offense like the rest of the NFL. Coach Arthur Smith’s scheme is run-first and built around three talented backs. His rationale for leaning into the run game, even though it’s less efficient than passing, includes a basketball analogy: If a team doesn’t have good three-point shooters, it’s silly for them to try to beat the Golden State Warriors by shooting three-pointers.

Last week, in a dramatic comeback against Houston, second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder played his best game as a pro. But it’s clear heading into Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders that the Falcons will continue feeding running backs Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson (though injury has limited Patterson so far this year).

“Everything revolves around the running game,” Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio said. “They do a really good job with it. They’ve got a good line, very good backs and good design. So, that’s where it all starts. But then Ridder has played well, and he’s getting the ball out of his hands much quicker. It looks like it’s obviously an emphasis for him, and so we need to be ready for that and match that.”

5 sacks

Yeah, yeah, this again. For the third week in a row, the Commanders are facing a defense that comes in with one of the lowest sack totals in the NFL. This time, it’s the Falcons, who have five under first-time coordinator Ryan Nielsen.

31-0 at home

Ridder, a 2022 third-round pick from Cincinnati, has started his NFL career 5-0 at home and 0-4 on the road. It’s easy to dismiss those stats as meaningless or circumstantial — his opponents in those victories have been Arizona, Tampa Bay, Carolina, Green Bay and Houston — but there might be something to it. In college, Ridder went 26-0 at Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium as he helped take the Group of Five team to the College Football Playoff.

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Commanders WIre

Gimme Him: One player the Commanders would steal from Falcons

So, which player would we steal for Washington?

Unsurprisingly, the Commanders look to Atlanta’s offensive line, plucking away Pro Bowl right guard Chris Lindstrom from the Falcons. Lindstrom, 26, signed a five-year, $105 million contract earlier this year after earning his first Pro Bowl last season. Additionally, Lindstrom was named second-team All-Pro in 2022.

While the Commanders currently have Sam Cosmi at right guard, they could move him back to right tackle, giving them a young and potentially dominant right side of the offensive line. Washington could also move Cosmi to left guard.

Lindstrom would give the Commanders their first Pro Bowl offensive lineman since Brandon Scherff departed after the 2021 season, leaving a massive hole in the interior of Washington’s offensive line. Lindstrom is good in pass protection and even better as a run blocker. Like Cosmi, Lindstrom is excellent on the move and perfect for the screen game Eric Bieniemy likes to employ.

The Falcons have other talented players, such as electrifying rookie running back Bijan Robinson, cornerback A.J. Terrell, second-year wideout Drake London and more, but no one player would fit Washington’s needs quite like Lindstrom.

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Should you start Jahan Dotson in Week 6 against the Falcons?

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Blogging the Boys

Confidence in the Cowboys, Mike McCarthy, and Dak Prescott has plummeted

The Cowboys fanbase is very unhappy.

After the game, both Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott came under plenty of fire for the result against the 49ers.

We asked you about your confidence level in Mike McCarthy. The winning category was a below 50% confidence level with the ‘I’m done’ denotation. The other largest group (50%-69% confidence level) was willing to say win the Super Bowl or else.

The results for Dak Prescott were even worse. Over 55% of respondents voted they have a confidence level lower than 50% in Prescott, and that they were done with the quarterback.

Safe to say, the Cowboys fanbase is not buying what the team is selling at the moment. If they can’t pull off a win against the Chargers, things are likely to get ugly in Cowboys Nation.

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Pro Football Talk

CeeDee Lamb vows to do better job handling frustration

Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb was visibly upset during Sunday’s loss to the 49ers when he caught four passes for 49 yards. He detached himself from teammates on the sidelines and made no effort to hide his annoyance with the way things were going.

Lamb said Friday that being alone is not unusual for him, but he knows he needs to better handle his frustration.

“I’ve had to reflect, self-reflect, and I didn’t go the best route to get my end result,” Lamb said, via Todd Archer of ESPN. “At the end of the day, I have a job to do, and I want to contribute to this team. I do everything in my power week in and week out to do that. Going forward, there is a better way to go about it, make a lighter situation.”

Dak Prescott approached Lamb on Monday, and the two had a conversation about what happened. Prescott told Lamb they need to discuss things during the game, so they can “figure out an answer on the sideline.”

“He came up to me, he’s like, ‘If you have a problem with anything, just come up to me and we’ll talk about it. I don’t care how it necessarily looks in the media,’” Lamb said. “But the media is going to do what the media does anyway. If I stand by myself, it’s a problem. If I go talk to him and I flare my hands a little bit, it’s a problem. Right? At the end of the day, it’s just getting down to the nitty gritty, getting everything understood and both parts being on the same page. Me and Dak, we did that, first day back, so we could have all week, fresh slate to get after it.”

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Barstool Sports

Good Night For Jerry Jeudy: 3 Catches, 14 Yards And Then Lies To America When Talking About Steve Smith Calling Him Out For Being Average

It’s no secret that Jeudy is on the trade block. He hasn’t lived up to be a first round pick. Plus the Broncos should trade everyone. They fucking stink. The only person they can’t trade is Russell Wilson because quite literally no one wants him. You can’t find a team to trade for Russ and that contract.

Just don’t lie to us Jerry. Give us an honest answer. Tell us you told Steve Smith to fuck off because you were pissed. Who cares? That’s better than ignoring the first question and then coming back with you don’t remember that. Shit, my 4 year old lies better than that and he tried to convince me the dog ate marshmallows when he was holding 3 of them. At least come up with a better lie than you don’t remember. Receivers remember EVERYTHING. They are dramatic about everything. Just say you were pissed off.

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Barstool Sports

Al Michaels Openly Discussing The Spread During The Chiefs/Broncos Game Is How Every Single Announcer Should Talk

Alright, Al Michaels talking about the spread like this is great. But here’s my whole thing, why the hell don’t we get this with every broadcast? Why do broadcasters act like gambling is some taboo thing? Look around anywhere and everywhere in sports and you have gambling companies associated with them. Pregame shows talk about the spread and openly show it. Why can’t we have more people like Al Michaels just talk about how the line was 10.5 when the Chiefs were going for the field goal to go up 11? Al Michaels knew it. You knew it. I knew it. Everyone knew the line.

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