One of the biggest criticisms of Washington offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy this season is what appears to be an outright refusal to stick with the running game.
What makes it worse is the Commanders were breaking in a young quarterback. And, as the old saying goes, “A quarterback’s best friend is a running game.” That’s especially true for a young quarterback.
Sam Howell entered the 2023 season with one career start. Sixteen weeks into the season, Howell is second in the NFL with 557 passing attempts. As a team, the Commanders are No. 30 in rushing attempts, with 328, just seven more than Cincinnati, which is ranked 32nd.
In fairness to Bieniemy, Washington’s offensive line is an issue. Whether it’s run blocking or pass blocking, it’s not among the top groups in the league. But in some games, when the Commanders were having success running the ball, Bieniemy didn’t always stick with the run, putting more pressure on Howell to throw the ball 50 times.
As far as the offensive line, ask any lineman, and they’d tell you it’s much easier to run block than pass block.
The lack of a consistent running game really shows on third down. Too often this season, the Commanders have faced third-and-seven or longer, which makes it difficult for any offense to move the chains consistently.
In Sunday’s 30-28 loss to the New York Jets, head coach Ron Rivera benched Howell midway through the third quarter, replacing him with veteran Jacoby Brissett. Brissett led the Commanders on three consecutive touchdown drives to give Washington a 28-27 lead after trailing 27-7.
While Brissett was excellent, he also had some help. Bieniemy turned to the running game to complement Brissett and the passing game, and it worked.
Veteran Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley took notice and offered the following observation on the difference between Washington’s offense with Howell and Brissett.
“I feel like they stuck to their game,” Mosley said, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. “They didn’t really change the passing routes. They did run the ball a little better in the second half. They did a good job switching up the run game. Once it got closer, they kind of went back to their bread and butter. So we had to make adjustments because we were playing them more for the pass game. Second half, they ran the ball a little better, which helped them get a little more space in the passing game.”
Several things in that statement stood out. One, why couldn’t they run more with Howell under center?
But, I view this as Bieniemy taking advantage of what was given to him and the offense. That’s the mark of a good play-caller. He wasn’t too stubborn to stick with the pass, even though Washington was behind; instead, he saw an opportunity to create some first downs on the ground.
It’s been easy to criticize Bieniemy’s refusal to run at times this season, but Mosley’s explanation shows logic, at least from Sunday’s game.
Something else that stood out: That final sentence, in which Mosley mentions space in the passing game. A recurring theme this season has been the receivers not creating enough separation, whether it be the players or the scheme.
Mosley was also asked why the offense was more effective with Brissett.
“I’d say, just the way the offense was going,” he answered. “We had our ears pinned back a little bit more in the first half, a little bit more aggressive. Like I said, in the second half, they were starting to run the ball a little bit more, so we had to honor that because they were starting to get some yards on us. So we had to honor that more than the pass game, so that made the coverage a little softer in those short routes that he was throwing.
That’s some excellent analysis from Mosley on Washington’s offense from a five-time Pro Bowl player.
