Washington has just 29 rushing attempts through two games, but would like to get Matt Jones, right, and its running game going. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post)

It was just last season that the Washington Redskins cast themselves as a run-first offense. But two games into the 2016 season, the offense is nothing if not pass-happy.

No NFL team has carried the ball fewer times than Washington, whose 29 rushing attempts are less than half that of league leaders Carolina, Houston and New England, with 69 apiece entering Thursday night’s Texans-Patriots game. And Washington is tied for 25th at 68.5 rushing yards per game .

Coach Jay Gruden acknowledged that he wasn’t happy with his team’s run-pass ratio after reviewing video of Sunday’s 27-23 loss to Dallas, which dropped the Redskins to 0-2. Just 24.6 percent of the Redskins’ 118 offensive plays have been runs, veering far from even the broadest definition of a balanced offense.

“We have not given the running game really an ample opportunity to flourish,” Gruden said. “That’s something we have to look at.”

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Redskins reporter Master Tesfatsion breaks down Kirk Cousins's early-season struggles. (Thomas Johnson/The Washington Post)

It’s easy to see why Redskins coaches would be enamored with their passing attack with so many strong receivers: 6-foot-2 tight end Jordan Reed, the explosive DeSean Jackson, tough Pierre Garcon, productive Jamison Crowder and promising rookie Josh Doctson. It makes sense to tailor game plans to the roster’s strength.

But in many ways, the disappearance of the running game has been to the Redskins’ detriment.

A one-dimensional offense is far easier for opponents to defend. Relying so much on the passing game has ratcheted up pressure on quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is struggling to reclaim the form that helped him lead the Redskins to the NFC East championship last season.

And with the offense struggling to stay on the field, a defense that’s precariously thin up front is wearing down. The toll was evident in the loss to Pittsburgh, which scored 24 of its 38 points in the second half.

While Gruden and offensive coordinator Sean McVay both acknowledge the need to call more balanced games, their adjustments have been nominal, as if the passing game were a habit the former college quarterback and former college wide receiver can’t break.

Cousins, who has struggled in the red zone in particular, conceded that more running plays could help.

“I feel like when I hand the ball off, we are getting positive yards,” Cousins said. But he faulted himself for not handing off more in the red zone against Dallas; given an option, he went with fades that he felt had a higher percentage of success.

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If the Redskins’ offensive line is upset about not getting more run-blocking opportunities, no one is grousing — at least not left tackle Trent Williams, the unit’s leader and an offensive co-captain.

“I stay in my place; my place is to play left tackle,” Williams said when asked whether he had spoken to coaches about running the ball more. “I can’t worry about calling a game or lobbying for any type of play. That’s not what I’m good at; that’s not what they pay me to do. I have a hard enough job blocking the guy in front of me.”

Waiting patiently is a young Redskins running back corps that’s eager to prove it can move the ball and help alleviate many of the offense’s struggles.

“If we run the ball more and run it very successfully, I think it’ll help out our passing game tremendously,” third-down specialist Chris Thompson said. “It would make things a lot easier for Kirk, where we could possibly get man-to-man situations or defenses fearing our run game. And if we’re running the ball well, it gives our defense time to rest.”

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Among NFL analysts, little was expected from the Redskins running backs this season. The team let veteran Alfred Morris depart via free agency, and second-year back Matt Jones suffered a shoulder injury in the team’s second preseason game. But that only stokes the group’s fire, Jones said.

“That’s what we build our group around — beating the odds,” Jones said in an interview this week. “Nobody is really looking at our running back corps and saying, ‘Oh, their guys are good!’ ”

Redskins running backs coach Randy Jordan loves his group, which consists of Jones, Thompson, rookie Robert Kelley and practice-squad player Mack Brown.

“All they want to know is, ‘Coach, how can I be a better player?’ ” Jordan said Thursday. “They listen, and they’re hungry.”

Redskins General Manager Scot McCloughan raved about the 6-2, 232-pound Jones when he chose the Florida back with a third-round pick in the 2015 NFL draft . Playing behind Morris, Jones flashed explosiveness and inexperience as a rookie.

In the season opener against Pittsburgh, he had a tough go, tackled for no gain on his first carry and then dropped for a four-yard loss after running the wrong way on his next.

“This is his first full year as a starter,” Jordan said, “and with that comes a learning curve.”

Since then, the coach’s mantra has been “Four more and get more,” telling his backs that if they gain four yards per carry, they likely will get another chance to run it.

“He took that to heart,” Jordan said of Jones, who rushed for 61 yards on 13 carries (4.7 average) against Dallas, including a 14-yard touchdown.

“Our job is to run the ball when called upon to run it, and our job is to protect the quarterback when he throws it,” Jordan said. “If all 11 do their job, we’ll be fine. We’ll be able to move the ball.”