Third down key vs. Texans

WASHINGTON — After handing the Philadelphia Eagles their first loss of the season, the Washington Commanders are 3-1 over their past four games, sit a half-game out of a playoff spot and are riding a wave created by their Busch Light-loving quarterback and rediscovered run game.

Taylor Heinicke will get his fifth consecutive start Sunday against 1-7-1 Houston in what has to be considered a trap game. Here are some keys for the Commanders to maintain their momentum:

Stay committed to the run

Washington discovered the best way to defeat Jalen Hurts was to keep the Eagles quarterback off the field. The Commanders ran the ball 49 times against Philadelphia, extending drives and eating the clock while opening up chunk plays in the passing game.

The Commanders envisioned this type of offense when they drafted Brian Robinson Jr. in the third round and paired him with receiver-turned-back Antonio Gibson.

A consistent run game is a quarterback’s best friend because it spreads the load and creates bigger opportunities in the passing game by catching the defense off-guard.

The elusiveness, power, quickness and speed of Washington’s backs have turned the Commanders’ run game into a dynamic and deceptive threat.

The group’s rushing average lags at 3.9 yards per carry (29th in the NFL), but Coach Ron Rivera and offensive coordinator Scott Turner have been quick to note that their backs have been used on a number of short-yardage plays. To have similar success in the run game, the Commanders will have to …

Convert third downs

Washington converted 57.1% of them (12 of 21) Monday in Philadelphia, a significant leap from the offense’s 30% and 16.7% clips in the previous two games. Eight of those conversions required two or fewer yards.

“I talked to the offensive line about challenging them and the backs saying, ‘Hey, set the tone and be physical in this game,’ ” Turner said. “I wanted to try to give them the opportunity to do that, and they did that. Then I said, ‘When we get in those third downs, we’ve got to convert, whether it’s running or throwing,’ and we did a nice job running.”

Turner quipped that if the plan to grind it out worked against the Eagles, which have one of the game’s best defenses in total yards and scoring, it should work against most teams. The Texans certainly could be one of those; their rushing defense allowed a leaguehigh 181.8 yards per game through Week 10.

Take what’s given

As Rivera has cycled through quarterbacks in Washington, he’s repeated the same philosophy: The smarter plays are often the less glamorous ones. He’s referencing decisions such as a check-down when a deep shot is too risky, or a throwaway when the receivers just aren’t open.

Heinicke has shown growth by responding more to what the defense presents. Against the Eagles, he recovered a snap that was over his head and turned upfield to throw the ball out of bounds, past the line of scrimmage, avoiding a significant loss in yardage. Later in the game, hetookakneeinsteadofforcing a throw to Terry McLaurin that could have been intercepted. He ultimately drew an unnecessary roughness penalty from an Eagles defensive end, which sealed the game.

If Heinicke can maintain his instinctive style of play, but rein it in enough to avoid turnovers and glaring mistakes, he’ll give his team a viable chance to sustain success.

Injury report

Heinicke gets the start and rookie quarterback Sam Howellwillbethebackupfor atleastanothergame.Carson Wentz resumed throwing this week, but he has yet to be designated to return to practice, a requisite before he can be added back to the active roster.

Defensive end Chase Young continues to work his way back from an ACL injury he suffered in Week 10 last season, but his status for Sunday remains up in the air. According to two people with knowledge of the situation, he is more likely to be activated next week before the Nov. 23 deadline. But there’s still a small chance he’s in uniform. The team has until 4 p.m. Saturday to add him back to the 53-man roster. They could activate him and see how he looks in a pregame workout before making the final call.

Running back J.D. McKissic, who again was ruled out because of a neck injury, may be placed on injured reserve to clear a roster spot for Young when he returns.

LinebackerColeHolcomb will miss his fourth consecutive game with a foot injury, but fellow linebacker David Mayo has a chance to return. Mayo has missed two games becauseofahamstringinjury.

The most surprising absence will be tight end Armani Rogers, who was ruled out because of a knee/ ankle injury. That means fellow rookie tight end Cole Turnercouldseemoreaction Sunday, alongside tight ends Logan Thomas and John Bates.