Commanders News: Sam Howell, Ron Rivera, K.J. Henry and injuries

Commanders HC Ron Rivera's focus

Things aren't looking especially promising for Ron Rivera. The Washington Commanders lost another game they were expected to win comfortably, which has been the primary catalyst behind another season of underachievement under the head coach - the fourth in succession.

Rivera has to get his players ready for Thanksgiving at the Dallas Cowboys amid fierce speculation about when - not if - he'll be relieved of his duties. But the figurehead is focused on the task at hand and looking for consistency from his players based on comments via Washington's website.

"It's about staying focused and being focused each and every time. And that, to me, is where the consistency comes. You can't let your mind wander. You can't lose your focus on what the task is. It's not to win the play, it's to win the game."

- Ron Rivera via Commanders.com

One positive for the Commanders is the fact they've done relatively well as a heavy underdog this season. Their two games against the Philadelphia Eagles could have gone either way, so a similar effort might keep this closer than many anticipate looking at the two teams and their current trajectories.

With all that being said, one has to wonder what might occur if the Commanders are on the wrong end of another beatdown to move themselves to 0-5 within the division. Something that might see Josh Harris' ownership group pull the plug on this particular experiment.