Commanders News: Ron Rivera, Sam Howell, Jonathan Allen and sideline friction

Commanders QB Sam Howell's faith

Sam Howell performed well enough in difficult circumstances in Week 12. He was one of the very few Washington Commanders players to emerge with any credit, although his pick-six when chasing the game late on made history as cornerback DaRon Bland broke the NFL's all-time regular season record for taking interceptions to the house.

It looks like the Commanders might have something with Howell. But the prospect of a top-five selection in the 2024 NFL Draft and head coach Ron Rivera being out of the door mean nothing could be said with any great confidence.

When discussing the prospect of Rivera's removal, Howell stated via John Keim of ESPN that the speculation hasn't transitioned to the locker room. The party line is focusing on improvement and blocking out all the outside noise.

"It really doesn't impact anything in the locker room. We just focus on what we can control, try to get better. Obviously, when things aren't going well people are going to talk about jobs for everybody -- not only coaches, players, too. We just have to zone it all out."

- Sam Howell via ESPN

There are just five games remaining of Howell's first season as the Commanders starting quarterback. There's been more good than bad, but the people who had so much faith in the signal-caller are unlikely to be around in 2024, which complicates matters.