LANDOVER — Every week the Washington Redskins struggled to run the ball weighed more heavily than the last. The lack of yards — 172 in the last four games — served as a gut-punching reminder that the rushing attack was a mere shell of the unit that rushed for 343 yards in the first two weeks.
Throughout that grueling stretch, coach Jay Gruden never wavered in his commitment to running the ball. The Redskins were rewarded for it in Sunday’s 47-14 win against the New Orleans Saints at FedEx Field.
The Redskins rushed 31 times for 213 yards, an average of 6.9 per carry. Alfred Morris rushed for 92 yards on 15 carries. Matt Jones added 56 yards on 11 carries, though his impact was felt most in the passing game. The rookie running back hauled in three catches for 131 yards, including a 78-yard touchdown on a screen pass in the second quarter that gave the Redskins a 21-14 lead the Saints could never equal. Chris Thompson chipped in 54 yards on just two carries.
“It wasn’t easy,” Morris said. “I’d be lying if I told you it was easy, but I’m glad we stayed patient.”
Washington (4-5) scored 47 points, their most since 2005, without a rushing touchdown — and they hardly needed one. The Redskins’ ability to gain chunks of yardage allowed offensive coordinator Sean McVay to use the playbook liberally. None of their rushing plays resulted in a loss of yards and only once did they fail to gain a yard.
Kirk Cousins and the Redskins’ offense began the game at their own two-yard line after holding penalties on both the kickoff return and first play. Then Morris rushed for four yards, followed by a four-yard reception. On third-and-4, Cousins connected with DeSean Jackson for a 42-yard reception — a downfield threat the offense sorely missed the first eight games. With the Saints’ defense backed up, the Redskins fed Morris the ball four times for 22 yards.
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Facing third-and-1 at the New Orleans 16-yard line, right tackle Tom Compton reported as eligible and the Redskins lined up in a three-tight end set. Tipping their hand toward a run, the Redskins went instead with play-action and Cousins connected with tight end Jordan Reed for a 16-yard score to cap the 10-play, 96-yard drive.
“It was excellent,” Gruden said of the running game. “We didn’t have a lot of negative runs. We were able to stick with it, we were able to stick with our play actions and the whole playbook basically. Sean did a great job getting this offense ready and organized for Kirk. Kirk did a great job executing, but it was a total team effort. The offensive line, the tight ends made some plays. The backs made big plays in the running game and passing game.”
From that moment, the Redskins continued to run effectively. They had 122 yards by halftime and piled on more in the second half, a stark contrast from weeks prior when they were forced into a one-dimensional look.
The Redskins eyed this game as one in which the running game could break through. The Saints (4-6) entered the game allowing 122.2 rushing yards per game and had three linebackers inactive, but Washington remained disciplined in its preparation.
“We respect everybody,” Gruden said. “We’re not in a situation where we are looking down on anybody. We’re down trying to get up. We just had a good day today.”
There was no singular answer to the Redskins’ inability to run in the previous weeks. The offensive line and tight ends were struggling with blocks and when they weren’t, the running backs were hesitant to hit the hole. On Sunday, they got contributions from all over. On Jones’ 20-yard run in the second quarter, left tackle Trent Williams sealed the left edge and wide receiver Ryan Grant delivered a solid block downfield that helped extend the play.
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“When you have receivers not being selfish and getting down field, I love that type of thing,” Jones said. “I give credit to Ryan for even throwing a block like that.”
Perhaps most importantly, running backs coach Randy Jordan turned up the heat on his players.
“He said, ’If you go in the game and are not running hard, I’m taking you out,’” Chris Thompson said. “As a group, we knew we could do it, he shouldn’t have to tell us, but it did and it was like, ’OK, we had to get this thing going.”
That message was well received. On Thompson’s first carry of the game, he rushed for a 38-yard game. It was a three-tight end set and a zone run usually designed for Morris or Jones, but Morris was getting his sore ribs examined and Jones needed a break. Thompson seized the opportunity.
“Matt was a little tired running for 2,000 yards today,” Thompson joked. “I was like, ’OK it’s my time.’ I got the ball in my hands and I had to make something happen. We knew what we could do. It was just a matter of finding a way to put it together and being patient.”
• Anthony Gulizia can be reached at agulizia@washingtontimes.com.
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