Washington Commanders

Washington Redskins' Backfield Leads To Win Over The Browns

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Washington Redskins have won their last two games, and the backfield is a big reason for that.

One of the biggest problems the Washington Redskins’ offense had so far this season was its running game. Over the first three games, Washington’s backfield had only accounted for two touchdowns. In Week 4, they matched that number.

This past Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, Matt Jones and Chris Thompson each scored a touchdown. While this is fantastic, it does not nearly illustrate the impact that the improvement in the backfield had on the entire game.

Oct 2, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones (31) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns in the fourth quarter at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 31-20. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

For example, in the first three games of the season, Kirk Cousins threw the ball 43, 46, and 35 times respectively. Against the Browns, Cousins only had to pass the ball 27 times. This is an enormous change. It was able to happen because the Redskins started to trust the running game more. The No. 1 running back on the depth chart, Jones, was given the ball 20 times through the first two games. He had 22 rushing attempts in Week. 4 alone.

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It took time, but as the Redskins coaching staff has given him the ball more often, Jones has really started to emerge as a solid starting running back. Jones definitely showed his potential against the Browns, when he rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown.

And Jones isn’t the only player in the backfield performing well. Thompson also had 40 total yards and a receiving touchdown against Cleveland. These stats aren’t anything too extreme but it is significant that the Redskins have another competent back that’s a threat coming out of the backfield.

The presence of a running game has been the saving grace for the Redskins these past two weeks. The running game has proven to be a great way for the Redskins to sustain long drives that take the wind out of defenses. It has also helped give the Skins more weapons to score with when they get deep into the redzone. And it has taken a tremendous amount of pressure off of Cousins, which has opened up the passing game. In fact, Cousins went from throwing 3 picks and 1 TD in the first two games to 5 touchdowns and 1 interception in the past 2 games.

The impact the Redskins running backs have had over the past two weeks is huge. And if you look at the correlation, when the running game is having a big impact, then the Skins are winning. Hopefully, Jay Gruden and company are able to keep this formula going so more Ws keep coming.