Dan Quinn and Kliff Kingsbury might change the offense for Sunday’s playoff game against the Bucs.
Running back Austin Ekeler was thought to be simply getting his feet wet again by playing in the finale at Dallas. Returning from the injured reserve list, the consensus was that the Dallas game was preparation to get him ready for a playoff game.
However, did you notice that in Sunday’s game against the Cowboys in Dallas, Ekeler actually was on the field more than Brian Robinson Jr? That’s right, the official snap counts corroborate this observation, with Robinson being called upon on 23 Commanders’ offensive plays, while Ekeler surprisingly was on the field for 35 Commanders’ offensive plays.
The Commanders’ inside running game has really struggled lately. How much are the linemen worn down, perhaps playing with minor injuries? How much is center Tyler Biadasz’s missed action against the Falcons and the entirety of the Cowboys game? But what also must be asked is, “How much of this is Brian Robinson?”
In his last four games, Robinson has averaged per carry 3.1, 2.4, 4.6, and 2.0 yards a carry in gaining 65, 24, 60, and 10 yards.
In fairness to Robinson, he ran harder and had more success earlier in the season, accomplishing 100+ yards against the Giants, Cardinals, and Titans. So, is Robinson banged up and playing with some bumps and bruises that are slowing him, limiting him?
Kingsbury knows he needs a healthy Ekeler next week if he is going to get any big plays from running backs. Ekeler making some big gains on screen passes or passes out of the backfield could be the way to go against the Bucs on Sunday, who are big and physical inside on defense.
But isn’t it worth noticing that Quinn and Kingsbury did not keep Ekeler inactive until the playoffs? They wanted to test him, having him out there, and in fact, he was out there more than Robinson.
Might Ekeler be the offensive spark the Commanders need right now?