Commanders News: Ron Rivera, Jahan Dotson, Emmanuel Forbes and Sam Howell

Ron Rivera on Commanders' defensive changes

For arguably only the second time this season and the first occasion since Week 1, the Washington Commanders defense showed up at the Atlanta Falcons. They were ruthless from the outset, swarming over the rushing attack and forcing quarterback Desmond Ridder into multiple important turnovers that ultimately decided the clash.

This was exactly the response everyone was looking for after such an inept showing against the Chicago Bears. When discussing the improvements, Ron Rivera stated via Washington's website that opportunities for others further down the pecking order coupled with specific opportunities to create mismatches were implemented with high efficiency.

"Well, I think some of it was a little bit of both. I think it was some things that we wanted to do, some things necessitated by the injuries that have happened, and I think some of it was necessitated by the opponent. They did some personnel things that we wanted to try and create some matchups that we thought would be beneficial for us. I thought Jack [Del Rio] and the staff had it well mapped out, well-prepared. And like I said, there's some things that we got to get fixed in all three phases, and that's our defense."

- Ron Rivera via Commanders.com

This is a solid foundation from which to build. The Commanders' defense has now set the standard and even though it wasn't perfect, turnovers change the tide and that has to be the mindset moving forward.

If the New York Giants don't have quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley available in Week 7, it's another chance for Jack Del Rio's defense to dominate on the road.