Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson give the Washington Commanders a potentially terrifying two-headed running back monster.
The Washington Commanders are hitting a bit of a resurgence at the moment. After starting the year 1-4, they’ve rattled off two straight wins to get to 3-4 on the season. Still not great, obviously, but trending in the right direction. And one of the main reasons to feel optimism comes at the running back position.
At the start of the year, this was a strange situation. Despite some good numbers, Antonio Gibson seemed to fall out of favor thanks to a major fumbling issue last year. A fumble in his second touch of the preseason made him go from “in trouble” to “only really appearing on special teams”. Running back was rookie Brian Robinson Jr.’s starting spot now.
That is until he was shot multiple times when people attempted to rob him. Suddenly, Robinson was out for the start of the year, and Gibson was thrust back into a major role.
Truthfully, the yards per carry weren’t great for Gibson. He was catching passes though and did have two touchdowns through the first four weeks. Crucially, he hadn’t fumbled in that time either.
Then Robinson came back, and it looked like Gibson was a complete afterthought for one week.
In week 6 against the Chicago Bears (coincidentally when Washington started the short two-game winning streak that they are currently riding) we saw both RBs get some work in. Gibson had five carries for 35 yards and three receptions for 18 yards. Meanwhile, Robinson ran it 17 times for 60 yards and a touchdown.
In Week 7 against the Green Bay Packers, Gibson got up to 10 carries for 59 yards, three receptions for 18 yards, and a touchdown. Robinson racked up 20 carries for 73 yards and two receptions for 13 yards.
Washington has the potential to dominate on the ground. And they can do it with a mixture of talent. Gibson is known for being shiftier. He’s a great pass catcher, and if you get him in the open field, good luck trying to tackle him.
Robinson is more of the run-right-at-you type of back. He can take it up the gut and still manage a chunk of yards and is a dangerous goal-line type. Both have the potential to be solo stars, but get to do it together.
Throw in J.D. McKissic for a couple of receptions and a carry or two, just to shake things up. The main attraction here is Gibson and Robinson though.
Having two running backs will annoy some people. There will be the fantasy “oh he’s taking away touches from my guy” arguments. At the same time, there could be people that just want one RB so Washington can have someone hitting massive numbers.
This is best for everyone involved though. The Commanders now have a fun change-of-pace. This keeps defenses on their toes and most importantly keeps both RBs fresh. They can roll with the hot hand or keep mixing it up to throw different schemes at their opponents.
Gibson now gets to focus on his strengths. He has shown some decent “bruiser back” abilities in the past. But that’s where his yards per carry were getting killed. Gibson is mainly a speed/shifty back. Having him try to run it up the middle 10 times a game wasn’t going to work. They tend to go for one-or-two yards. Now he gets to just take those change of direction/outside plays, and haul in some passes.
Meanwhile, Robinson will get to focus on running through people. Running between the tackles and fighting for a few extra yards.
The Washington Commanders have won their last two games with the offense working through the running game. That has become possible thanks to the emergence of a two-headed running back monster of Antonio Gibson and Brian Robinson. One with the potential to put them in the “elite” tier of rushing offenses.