WASHINGTON — In a season of ups and downs, the Commanders game against the New York Giants fell with a thud into the latter category.
The Commanders have lost four of five since a 2-0 start, again falling below .500 with a demoralizing 14-7 loss at the Giants. Quarterback Sam Howell was sacked six more times, reaching a league-high 40 on the season, while completing 22 of 42 passes for 249 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.
Now on pace for an NFL-record 90 sacks, we asked Head Coach Ron Rivera if Howell can improve.
"I think he can. You know, it's not just the development of one guy, but it’s the development of this offense, it’s the development of this football team," the coach said.
During a one-on-one conversation with WUSA9's Chick Hernandez, Rivera spoke a lot about that development, and growing the team as a whole, even as fans, and some players are getting frustrated.
The frustration was at a boiling point in the locker room after the game when defensive tackle Jonathan Allen didn't mince words when discussing what happened on the field.
His coach fully understands.
"He’s not the only one frustrated, but I appreciate his passion. He wants to win. And he wants people to know he wants to win. Why? Because we've got some talent, we believe we're better than what we did," Rivera said.
With new ownership led by Josh Harris now running the show, that future could come with a different front office and coaching staff that doesn't include Rivera or offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. This is Rivera's fourth season in charge in Washington and could be the third in that time without a playoff appearance.
For Rivera, he says he is focused on taking it one game at a time.
"We're working get better. We have a young team and a young quarterback that I've committed to. I believe that he can help us get to where we want to be as a football team."
Part-owner Magic Johnson once again took to social media to express his disappointment with the team. "It's hard to win in the NFL when you only score 7 points," he said.
"I get it," Rivera said. "People may be running out of patience, but for me, I'm going to stay steady, stay true and continue to work hard."
Up next for the Commanders is a Philadelphia Eagles team that leads the NFC East with a 6-1 record, a full three games ahead of the Washington Commanders as we near the halfway point of the season.