An already struggling Washington Commanders offense will be down pivotal pieces on Sunday against the New York Jets.
Left tackle Charles Leno and running back Brian Robinson Jr. have been ruled against the Jets. Leno is dealing with a calf injury, while Robinson Jr. is missing his second straight game with a hamstring injury.
Robinson Jr. has run for 664 yards and five touchdowns and has 326 receiving yards plus three scores through the air this season.
The loss of Leno and Robinson is especially worrisome against a Jets defense that has allowed the seventh-fewest total yards (298.4) and second-fewest passing yards (170.4) per game. New York's defense would likely rate better in other categories if it wasn't buoyed by one of the worst offenses in football.
Even then, the Jets (5-9) defense is still capable of carrying the team, as was shown in a 30-6 win over the Houston Texans on Dec. 10 at MetLife Stadium. The Jets contained AFC Rookie of the Year frontrunner, quarterback C.J. Stroud, as he completed 10 of 23 passes for 91 yards and was sacked four times.
Houston (8-6) gained a season-low 135 total yards against New York.
"A lot with their pass rush and then how physical they're at the line of scrimmage," Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said of the Jets defense. "They've got tall long corners, guys that are very physical with their hands. You've got to be able to get off clean and get into your routes quickly, and you just can't win off the line because they come back at you."
During the Commanders' five-game losing streak, they've only scored 15.4 points per game with quarterback Sam Howell on the field. He's thrown five touchdowns and six interceptions in that stretch, with three being ran back for touchdowns.
"It's not a lack of effort," Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said of the team's offensive struggles. "We just need to play better. And when we're playing pretty good collectively as one unit, we have a chance. We haven't quite given ourselves the best opportunity over the past few weeks."
Not having Robinson Jr. and Leno hurt the offense's chances to turn things around against a stout Jets defense. If they can put together a strong performance, it'd be a huge step in Howell's growth and would help his odds of remaining the quarterback beyond this season. But if the struggles continue, it'd be a blow to Howell being in the team's future.
The Commanders face the Jets on Sunday at MetLife Stadium at 1 p.m. ET.
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