Antonio Gibson’s career day shines a spotlight on Washington’s promising young core

For all its miscues and mistakes, the Washington Football Team has proved to be a tough and resilient unit — and the promise finally shined through in the 41-16 Thanksgiving thumping. This was the clearest example yet that Coach Ron Rivera is molding the team in the image he promised, and the play of several of his young players — Gibson, wide receiver Terry McLaurin, defensive end Montez Sweat — illustrated it.

What Gibson said after the game perhaps best embodies the mind-set of a team that, at 4-7, jumped into first place for the NFC East.

“Our record isn’t the best; our conference isn’t the best; but we’re still in it,” Gibson said. “That gives us hope. If we can make the playoffs, why not?”

Gibson’s career day — 25 touches, 137 yards, three touchdowns — put him alongside NFL legends. He was the first rookie with three touchdowns on Thanksgiving since Randy Moss in 1998, and the first player with 100 or more rushing yards and three or more rushing touchdowns on Thanksgiving since Barry Sanders in 1997. Gibson could only think back a year.

In November 2019, Memphis beat then-undefeated Southern Methodist behind his school-record 386 all-purpose yards, including a 50-yard receiving touchdown, a 78-yard rushing touchdown and a 97-yard kickoff return touchdown. He couldn’t believe the symmetry, another breakout game on another national stage against another team from Dallas.

“Story of my life,” Gibson said. “Every time the spotlight come on, it seems like God’s always watching down on me. … To be able to come out on national TV and do this is an amazing feeling.”

Since Washington drafted Gibson in the third round, no one embodies the progress and maturation of the team better than he. Washington picked him as a project, a weapon who had played a little running back and a little receiver. Rivera compared his potential to Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey, the league’s highest-paid running back, and put him in the running backs room full time.

Early on, Gibson looked like a receiver playing running back. He missed holes, misjudged linemen and confused protections. Slowly, though, he made strides. His role expanded, and he lined up in two-back formations with J.D. McKissic. He used his athleticism to help the Air Coryell-based offense, extremely dependent on running backs, turning check-downs into first downs. Now, when asked about the growth in his game, he often slips into talking about the group as a whole, saying the unit is excelling at trusting “our” eyes, reading “our” gaps and hitting “our” holes.

On Thursday, Gibson’s progress was evident. He proved too tough for one tackler in the running game and too slippery for Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch to cover one-on-one in the passing game. He earned the respect of the Cowboys, helping attract the defense before tight end Logan Thomas connected for a big gain on a trick-play pass. He stood strong in blitz protection in the third quarter to prevent a bad sack of quarterback Alex Smith on second and 8.

“He’s still growing,” Rivera said. “The thing about him is he’s got so much potential and ability.”

“He’s very special,” McLaurin said. “I don’t think he knows how good he can be.”

Gibson’s first touchdown illustrated his growth as a power back. In Week 1, the team used Peyton Barber almost exclusively in short-yardage situations; but now, it leaned on Gibson, and he plowed into the end zone to give Washington a lead it would never relinquish. He clinched it early in the fourth quarter after the Cowboys tried a disastrous fake punt deep in their own territory. Gibson delivered a 23-yard touchdown, as well as a wave, on the first play of Washington’s next possession.

Near the end, driving to bleed the clock, Gibson felt his progress when he lined up on third and 6 and saw how the play would unfold before it did. He surveyed the receivers, and how the defenders were aligned, and knew was going to hit the “A” gap between the center and the left guard. He knew he’d have the safety, Wilson again, one-on-one.

“I just used my speed to get around him,” Gibson said, describing his 39-yard, backbreaking touchdown.

By then, even Fox broadcaster Joe Buck had to admit, “This kid’s good, man.”

“I like everything I see from Antonio Gibson,” agreed Troy Aikman, Buck’s broadcast partner and former Cowboys quarterback.

Afterward, a few young players mingled on the field. Wide receiver Steven Sims Jr. and linebacker Cole Holcomb, two important second-year players, were close by. Gibson lingered for a moment, too, looking around, soaking in the career day, standing on the star.