1. Terrance West Has Been Freed
With Marc Trestman as offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, Terrance West never got his snap rate above 44.1%, a mark that came all the way back in Week 1. It's safe to say now that West is the main beneficiary of Trestman's departure.
In the first week after Trestman's firing, West had 23 of 25 running-back carries, turning them into 87 yards and 2 touchdowns. He added six targets through the air and easily led the team in snaps. He went from doghouse to penthouse rull quick.
Because there was a justifiable reason to expect change (the change in offensive coordinator), we can fully buy into West's new role. He has a tough matchup on tap against the New York Jets' stout front, but things ease up a bit after their bye week, and West is in position to capitalize.
2. Loving Matt Jones Is a Roller Coaster
It has been a wild year for Matt Jones enthusiasts. He played just 32.8% of the snaps in Week 1, then he got dap for his red-zone usage in this column a few weeks ago. Now, he's sliding right back onto the poo list.
This probably sounds stupid considering Jones just popped off for 135 yards on 16 carries Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, but the usage deviates heavily from the results. He lost nine carries to Chris Thompson and five to Rob Kelley, and Jones wasn't on the field nearly as much as you'd hope.
Washington HB snap count today: Chris Thompson 36, Matt Joens 30, Rob Kelley 9. Out of 74
— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) October 16, 2016
This is in a game in which Washington never trailed. Ruh roh.
Considering Jones' yo-yoing usage this year, it's possible he rebounds in Week 7 against a battered Detroit Lions team. But until we see that, it'll be hard to have abundant faith in Jones, even in quality matchups.
3. Jay Ajayi Breaks Away From the Pack
If you're reading this as a living, breathing human, the odds are high that you were at one point involved in the Miami Dolphins' running back committee. Jay Ajayi was one of us once, compiling 31 attempts in his first four games. He ascended to a whole new level on Sunday.
Ajayi carried 25 times -- out of 34 running-back carries -- for 204 yards and 2 touchdowns in a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ajayi played 48 snaps compared to 12 for Damien Williams and 11 for Arian Foster, so it's pretty clear who the top dog is now.
The other perk of Ajayi is that the offense as a whole should be trending up. This was the first game in which left tackle Branden Albert, left guard Laremy Tunsil, and center Mike Pouncey were all healthy at the same time. The unit is still sub-par, and the defense will put them in negative game script, but we finally know who to target when the Dolphins' ground game is in a spot to succeed.