The Washington Commanders have one major injury concern heading into Week 6 at the Baltimore Ravens. They need all hands on deck heading into the biggest test of their season so far. Being without one of their top performers would be detrimental to the team's chances of pulling off yet another major upset.
Brian Robinson Jr. quickly emerged as a focal point under the new regime. There's much more balance within Kliff Kingsbury's offensive scheme and the former third-round pick out of Alabama is benefitting more than most. He came out of the gates flying, providing explosiveness to exploit improved gaps created by the offensive line and keeping defenses honest through physical running in between the tackles.
Robinson wasn't utilized much during Washington's convincing win over the Cleveland Browns. He was given just seven carries, which stemmed from a knee injury. The Commanders are erring on the side of caution, eager for the problem not to become worse to keep the backfield force fit and firing over the second half of 2024.
The player's participation in practice was non-existent this week leading up to the clash. Robinson didn't feature at all and was listed as questionable for the mouth-watering Week 6 encounter at M&T Bank Stadium. Head coach Dan Quinn said they would wait until the last second before making any news official one way or another, but this would be a significant loss to the Commanders considering how important he is to the team's overall strategy.
Is Brian Robinson Jr. playing against the Ravens?
As it turned out, the Commanders made their decision on Robinson much earlier. They downgraded him to out on Saturday, leaving them without one of their primary offensive weapons for a pivotal clash versus the AFC North title favorites.
Washington elevated former sixth-round pick Chris Rodriguez Jr. from the practice squad as an insurance policy, but one would expect Austin Ekeler to shoulder a heavy burden versus the league's most prolific run defense without Robinson to depend upon. The veteran free-agent signing has accumulated just 19 carries this season as the Commanders utilize him situationally and more in the passing game. That should change in Week 6.
Jeremy McNichols is another who'll be tasked with extra responsibilities. The No. 3 option has done well with limited involvement over the last fortnight. This is a different challenge entirely, but he's got a strong offensive line to work behind and looks explosive when his number is called.
Not having Robinson isn't ideal. However, the Commanders have good depth at the position. This will serve them well in pursuit of another potentially shocking triumph that would put the entire NFL on notice.
