Commanders News: Sam Howell, Ron Rivera, RFK Stadium boost and injury concerns
By Dean Jones
Commanders HC Ron Rivera's measuring stick
The NFL is a week-to-week league. While the Washington Commanders might be riding on the crest of a wave right now, that won't be the case if they cannot build on their newfound momentum against the Buffalo Bills at FedEx Field.
There is an enormous sense of positivity surrounding the Commanders currently. But this weekend's game represents a solid measuring stick versus the Buffalo Bills - a perennial AFC challenger with a borderline elite signal-caller in Josh Allen leading the charge.
When discussing Sunday's opposition and a meeting with his former defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, head coach Ron Rivera was anticipating a tough battle based on his comments via the team's website.
"They're one of the elite teams in the AFC. I know they're 1-1, but records don't mean anything in this situation. We've got to gear up. We've got to practice, prepare, get ourselves ready to go. It'll give us a great opportunity to see where we stand."
- Ron Rivera via Commanders.com
The Commanders are 6.5-point underdogs at home, which might be a little steep looking at how things have unfolded through two weeks of the campaign. A strong start is crucial, but there's nothing to suggest Rivera's men cannot hold their own at the very least in the face of high-caliber opposition.
Whether it'll be enough for a third-straight triumph to begin the campaign is another matter.