WASHINGTON — Head Coach Ron Rivera's Washington Commanders can't celebrate Sunday's win too much because a divisional foe in the New York Giants awaits them.
The Commanders hit the road to go up against the Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 15 and returned home with a 24-16 win, breaking the team's losing streak.
One of the big plays in the game was the screen pass turned touchdown to Brian Robinson, a move that appeared to be perfectly executed, but Rivera says looks can be deceiving.
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“We missed a detail," Rivera explained. "Brian found the hole. And Sam got it. Okay, so again, you keep playing fast, you keep going quickly, something positive is going to happen."
The defense got three interceptions, something the Commanders have been looking for since before training camp started.
"That was really, really good combination of pass rush and play calling," Rivera said. "There were some excellent calls in a game on both sides for us, actually, in all three phases that really helped set plays up and then the way the guys executed."
RELATED: Commanders beat the Falcons 24-16
Over the past few weeks, WUSA9 has sat down with Rivera every Monday to discuss his thoughts on the most recent game, as well as learn more about the head coach. This week's sit-down ended with a surprise in the form of a service dog named Chief.
The name is in honor of Rivera's father, Chief Warrant Officer Eugenio Rivera who always went by Chief. The Warrior Canine Connections service animal will be provided to help a veteran in about 15 months.
Rivera said the surprise hit him hard.
"I was very fortunate to have a dad that served our country and know exactly in my own way, what it means to be part of it," he said. "And so to be able to give back to a soldier or soldiers, I think is a wonderful thing… It's one of the things that we need to do. And it's, it's a really cool honor."
The Washington Commanders will go up against the New York Giants on Sunday, Oct. 22 at 1 p.m.
WUSA9 will sit down with Commanders Head Coach Ron Rivera every Monday throughout the 2023-2024 season. The one-on-one moments will premiere on WUSA9 at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. and again on Get Up DC every Tuesday morning. The full interview between Rivera and Chick Hernandez will be available on WUSA9+.