One of the Washington Commanders' strong suits this season has been the run game under coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
Currently the third-best in football (152.7 yards per game), the Commanders have a host of weapons that can pick up yards on the ground. While Kingsbury stated earlier in the week that his running backs were hesitant in hitting the hole, they might have to pick up the slack against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Commanders have only been held under 100 rushing yards three times this season, and ironically, they have lost all three. Additionally, the Falcons have only allowed 100 rush yards once in the last four games.
So it could be a battle of wills, and ESPN thinks the run game will be pivotal in the outcome of the game.
"If Washington wants to win and secure its spot in the playoffs, it will want to get its running backs going," ESPN writes. "The Commanders have averaged 2.64 yards per carry the past two weeks and will face an Atlanta defense that ranks ninth in yards per carry allowed (4.3)."
Without Jayden Daniels adding his, on average, 49.1 yards per game, the run game has suffered, and while over 100 rush yards have been achieved in their last four games, it has hardly been the dominating performances we have come to see.
The Falcons are coming off back-to-back games where they shut down the rushing attack completely, only allowing 65 and 45 rushing yards.
So it will be no easy task for Washington, but the run game has been its one wood in 2024, and now is the time to hammer home that advantage and have it pave the way for the franchise to secure its playoff spot.
