Based on statistical data and win records, it’s hard to name any team other than the Kansas City Chiefs as the most balanced offense in the league. However, for Super Bowl-winning coach Jon Gruden, the Chiefs aren’t as impressive as the Washington Commanders.
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In his latest YouTube video, the former Raiders head coach called the Commanders’ offense the most well-rounded in the league for a multitude of reasons. For starters, the fact that the Commanders have run the ball 51% of the snaps showed Gruden that they are maintaining a perfect balance between the running and passing game.
“Let me tell you that this [Washington Commanders] is the most balanced team in football that l’ve seen. They’re running the ball 51% of the time, which is almost perfect.”
Gruden couldn’t stop crediting the four horsemen — Jayden Daniels, Brian Robinson, Austin Ekeler, and Jeremy McNichols — of the Commanders’ offense for their impressive running performance in each game. What enamored the former Raiders coach the most, however, was the role played by the lynchpin of the offense, their star QB, Jayden.
For Jon, the rookie QB’s passing and rushing stats perfectly embody the balance of the Commanders’ offense. With 1410 passing yards and a mindboggling 372 rushing yards, Daniels’ all-around game adds an extra layer of rushing unpredictability that helps them bypass opposing defenses so easily.
While most rookies, like Caleb, take time easing into the playbook and system, Daniels’ ability to run a remarkably wide array of plays (that too, flawlessly) has captivated Jon Gruden even more.
“What’s most impressive [is to] watch a rookie quarterback running this array of plays… I mean, this is an unbelievable volume of plays that he’s executing and the ball distribution is sensational.”
That said, another hero of the Commanders’ offense for Jon is their offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury.
Has Kingsbury revolutionized the Commanders’ offense?
Before the start of this season, if someone had shown the current offensive stats of the Commanders, they wouldn’t have believed it. Such is the unimaginable impact that Kliff Kingsbury has had on the Commanders’ offense. Be it runs, passes, or plays, Kingsbury has revolutionized, or as Gruden put it, shown “things that you haven’t seen” in offensive plays.
Jon cited Washington’s “no-backs play” as a prime example of Kingsbury’s new-age offensive play style. In the “no-backs play,” the Commanders line up without running backs, leading the opposition to logically conclude that a pass will follow. Then, QB Jayden swoops in to score a touchdown that a typical running back would have.
“They’ll line up in a no-back set up and you think it’s a pass for sure, there’s no backs back here. But they’re running quarterback sweeps, quarterback draws, with built-in RPOs. Then they’re going to get in to the designer runs and they have every designer run possible for Jayden Daniels.”
The best and arguably the most endearing part about Kingsbury is how the OC has reinvented himself, as Jon noted. Widely known as a QB and a passing offense guy, Kingsbury’s innovative use of the rushing offense is simply impressive to see for Gruden.
