Tuesday was a rough day at the office for Washington Football Team running back Antonio Gibson. Entering the game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Gibson anticipated another heavy workload with spell back JD McKissic landing on injured reserve with a neck injury.
The night started out great, as Gibson scored a touchdown, leaping over the pile over the goal line in the first quarter. Washington ultimately built a 10-0 lead. However, a toe injury slowed him down according to head coach Ron Rivera.
The injury happened at some point late in the first quarter. Gibson went to the medical tent to be checked out. Before his exit, Gibson picked up 20 yards on seven carries and two catches for 25 yards.
Backups, rookie Jaret Patterson and Jonathan Williams, split two carries before Gibson returned to the game. Unfortunately, Gibson wasn’t the same.
Gibson finished with a pedestrian 26 rushing yards on 15 carries. He did haul in six catches for 39 yards. But he wasn’t as impactful as he has been for much of the season.
With Gibson limited, Washington’s Scott Turner was forced to abandon the run game. The momentum of the game flipped and ultimately, the Eagles erased the 10-0 deficit to win 27-17.
Gibson has been hobbled on and off throughout the season. He’s battled a stress fracture in his shin. Adding in his six fumbles on the season, it’s been a grind of a year.
Hopefully, the toe injury isn’t severe moving forward. He leads the team with 862 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Washington cannot afford a significant injury to Gibson with McKissic out at least the next two games.
