The Washington Commanders are experiencing their first bit of adversity in the new regime, a two-game losing streak.
The Commanders were a balanced team early on with both the run and pass game clicking in unison to make Washington one of the most potent offenses in football.
But over the last two weeks, Washington's one-wood, the run game, has been stifled, and it's no coincidence that both games have resulted in losses. Just totals of 60 and 93 yards mean that the once well-oiled run game is now a shell of itself.
Luckily, the Commanders' next opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, can't stop the run to save their life, giving up a whopping 151 rush yards per game.
As such, in his bold prediction for the game, ESPN's Seth Walder thinks Kliff Kingsbury's offense will surpass the double-ton in rushing yards against Dallas.
"The Commanders -- including their running backs and Daniels -- will combine to rush for 200 yards in a win over the Cowboys," Walder wrote. "Washington ranks first in run block win rate (74.7%), and the Cowboys rank 30th in run stop win rate (26.9%)."
Now, Walder's "bold" prediction isn't that bold.
Considering how both teams have fared, it's easy to suggest that the Commanders will rack up the rushing yards.
In four of its first seven games of the year, Washington rushed for over 200 yards, and even when they didn't, totals of 138, 168, and 149 were achieved, so the Commanders were still potent.
The Cowboys have been most teams' "get well card" in 2024, and having allowed rushing totals of 190, 274, 184, 223, 187, and 141; it is easy to envision Mike Zimmer's defense having a horrible time curtailing Washington's rushing attack.
So there is every chance that Walder's "bold" prediction will come to fruition because Washington's biggest strength is Dallas' biggest weakness.
