Commanders News: Sam Howell, Magic Johnson, Montez Sweat and Ron Rivera
By Dean Jones
Commanders HC Ron Rivera's relief
Ron Rivera looked like a relieved man after the Washington Commanders secured their Week 1 victory. It wasn't as easy as many people anticipated before the clash, but getting to 1-0 was the primary objective no matter how it arrived.
The Commanders displayed the fight needed to get over the line. They relied heavily on defense once again, but the offense did come through when it counted to send the thousands of returning fans home happy.
When assessing the game in its immediate aftermath, Rivera stated via Ben Standig of The Athletic that although it was nice to play in front of a packed audience for probably the first time since he became head coach in 2020, the Commanders need to execute much better moving forward as the opposition gets tougher.
"I thank the fans for coming out. We really appreciate them coming out. But we have to be a better football team for them. We had some opportunities (on offense) but didn’t take care of the ball the way we should have."
- Ron Rivera via The Athletic
There was a lot of bad football around the league, which is always the case in Week 1. What's important for the Commanders is analyzing the film thoroughly, correcting mistakes, and making sure there is more balance when Rivera and his squad make the trip to Denver next weekend.