Commanders News: Ron Rivera, Jonathan Allen, Sam Howell and Olumuyiwa Fashanu

Ron Rivera lays down the gauntlet

Talk has long been cheap for Ron Rivera. The head coach is under extreme pressure after another losing season was confirmed with Sunday's loss against the Miami Dolphins, which is a damning indictment on his coaching methods and roster building since joining the Washington Commanders.

There's a sense of finality approaching for Rivera in terms of his future beyond the campaign. But he challenged his players to keep fighting through adversity over their remaining four games after the bye based on comments via John Keim of ESPN.

"It is difficult, it is hard, and it's going to be hard. That's just the way it is. You can only say so much about development and growth; you can only say so much about the process. There's a certain point in time when you get to each year and say, now's the time, let's go. I mean, the process is now, and the time is now. So, let's see what we can do. We've got four [games] left. I expect everybody to be a professional show up and do their job."

- Ron Rivera via ESPN

Just how much fight remains in this group of players is the big question. It's evident some are no longer putting in maximum effort, so the Commanders will tread water through the rest of their regular season engagements before embarking on one of the most critical offseason periods in franchise history.