Preventing natural game-wrecker Jalen Carter from taking over the NFC Championship Game for the Philadelphia Eagles will be tough enough for a Washington Commanders team missing its best offensive lineman, yet there's still hope for keeping No. 98 quiet.
The Commanders won't have injured scrappy right guard Sam Cosmi, the obvious matchup for dominant defensive tackle Carter. What Washington can have is a three-tiered plan for keeping a crowd around the formidable 23-year-old.
Their strategy should be based on chipping the edges with supplemental blockers. This will leave the interior of Washington's offensive line populated enough to double and even triple-team Carter.
He needs to see a crowd on every play. Every. Single. One.
Double teams are no guarantee of stopping Carter, but they are the baseline for the Commanders' approach. The plan also needs the nuance of moving parts and trap blocking.
Double and triple-team blocks crucial for Commanders vs. Jalen Carter
The Commanders shouldn't need a reminder about the dangers of trying to block Carter one-on-one. If they do, the Los Angeles Rams provide a cautionary tale. Philadelphia's victims in the Divisional Round had success doubling Carter, but as Cris Collinsworth put it for Sunday Night Football on NBC, "probably shouldn't do that," when Sean McVay's men trusted single blocking.
Numbers reveal a simple story. The Commanders need to put a crowd around Carter. They're probably more inclined to do that now Cosmi is on the shelf, even though head coach Dan Quinn could reshuffle the protection to get his best blockers onto the field.
Moving personnel around is one way to go, but the Commanders might simply trust Trent Scott to remain Cosmi's replacement. The journeyman thrived against the Detroit Lions a week ago, so the veteran has earned some trust.
No matter who starts at guard, they ought to receive constant help against Carter. Help the Commanders can guarantee by blocking from outside to in against the Eagles' front four.
Commanders must block out to in to create numbers advantage
Washington offensive line coach Bobby Johnson can reach into recent history to find the blueprint for keeping Carter on lockdown. It comes from the 2018 New England Patriots and how they treated Rams all-world defensive tackle Aaron Donald in Super Bowl 53.
"Building a wall" around Carter and "putting six eyes" on the second-year pro are just some of the lessons the Pats can teach the Commanders, to coin phrases from NFL Network's Brian Baldinger.
The latter highlighted a play where the Patriots put three blockers, the right tackle, right guard, and center on Donald. They were able to commit so many resources along the interior because tight end Rob Gronkowski chipped the edge-rusher next to the future Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Using veteran John Bates and rookie Ben Sinnott in similar ways can help the Commanders emulate this tactic. They are both capable and rugged blocking tight ends, so they can handle Eagles edge defenders Nolan Smith and Josh Sweat. It will also help to have running backs Brian Robinson Jr., Austin Ekeler, and Jeremy McNichols chip the edges.
Handling outside pass-rushers with non-linemen means the Commanders will be able to assign more big bodies to absorb Carter. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury could even add an extra offensive tackle — something he's done more than once during these playoffs — to contain the edges and leave room to erect the same walls around the Eagles' main man in the middle.
Putting extra numbers on the field, either with two-tight end sets or overloaded lines, will also help the Commanders confuse Carter with some variety.
Different looks will be needed up front
The Commanders needn't get too cute about how they lock Carter down, but that doesn't mean they can't show a few different looks. Some trap and wham blocking would serve to blindside and frustrate the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
One way it could work is having Sinnott on the line and Bates in the backfield as a fullback. The right guard could let Carter through, only to be met by the tight end and hit from the side by center Tyler Biadasz.
Another trap could put Bates as the fullback in an offset I-formation, where he would slant across and hit Carter in the mush after right tackle Andrew Wylie had trapped the Pro Bowler breaking through the line. These ploys can create double teams in creative ways and would have the former Georgia star guessing about which direction the hits will come from and what he's going to see after the snap.
Keeping Carter off balance will be the key to winning the battle along the line of scrimmage. The Eagles love to bully teams in the trenches, but the Commanders can't let that happen. Particularly to a Jayden Daniels-led offense that's their best chance of advancing to the Super Bowl.
