ASHBURN, Va. — The Commanders can breathe. After losing five of the last six games, a win over the New England Patriots couldn't have come at a better time. Coming off a week where the team traded away two of their bigger stars in defensive end Montez Sweat to Chicago, and Chase Young to San Francisco, the come team emerged victorious against Bill Belichick for the first time since 2003, with a final score of 20-17.
It took halfway through the season, but the Commanders are finally getting some meaningful contributions from their rookies.
That's good for a team that's still in the mix for an NFC wild-card spot at 4-5 — but even better for the future of the franchise if this year's draft class pans out how the front office hoped.
Veteran running back Brian Robinson Jr. made a point of talking to some of the younger players who were getting more playing time. It makes head coach Ron Rivera proud.
"It does because you know that the veteran guys are helping the young guys grow and develop and that's how a team comes together and gets better at what they're doing," Rivera said.
One of the bright spots was the return of rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes. He had been benched for the last couple of games after a rough stretch, but came back against New England. He had two passes defended, and almost snagged an interception.
"We saw a little bit of that swagger back. He's got a ways to go, but using the techniques and doing things that we're asking him to, gives him the opportunity to be productive for us," Rivera said.
Quarterback Sam Howell also continues to grow, despite a questionable pass at the end of the first half that was intercepted in the end zone.
"The play calls for us to move the pocket. It's a quick throw or it's a throw out of bounds. Sam knows. He tried to stretch the play a little bit, he saw Jahan (Dotson) coming and tried to put one in through a tight window. Unfortunately it was a mistake. He learned from it, an that's the biggest thing we can ask," Rivera said.
But Howell also scrambled for a first down on 3rd and 23. His ability to run the ball is something Rivera likes about the young player.
"A lot of people don't know this, but his last year at UNC, he rushed for almost 900 yards. He's more than capable as a runner," the coach said. "He runs with vision and can make people miss, we just don't want him to do a lot of it."
Washington put together back-to-back 400-yard games for the first time since 2020, thanks in part to this TD pass to Dotson.
"The biggest thing more than anything else was his anticipation. That's showing growth right there. He's seeing what he's seeing. He's seeing the coverage, he knows what the routes call for. Being able to put that ball out there where only Jahan can make it is what we're looking for," Rivera explained.
While Jonathan Allen called Howell "our future," Rivera was a little more subtle about the man under center.
"We're in a good spot right now... He's going to give us every opportunity to win," Rivera said. "As I look at it, there's so much more that he's got to go and develop. We haven't arrived by any means, but we have a guy that we trust, we know he's going to do his best to give us every chance to win."
Rivera is hoping for more consistency as the team moves forward.
"It's been tough so far to this point, but our guys have stayed focused, they've kept their heads in the game. They're working, growing and developing. The thing we gotta get to is where we're consistent and we're playing complementary football," he said.
Up next for Washington is heading to the state of Washington to face the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle, coming off a 37-3 loss at Baltimore, is a 6-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
"It's going to be a real good test for our playmakers," Rivera said.