Remember the celebrations in the locker room and on the team plane after the Washington Commanders upset the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10? Fans were concerned this team, which was just 5-5, felt like it arrived and was due for a letdown the following week against the NFL’s worst team in the Houston Texans.
Head coach Ron Rivera cautioned against that mentality throughout the week, and the Commanders responded with a dominant win over Houston.
Next up were the Atlanta Falcons in Week 12.
The Falcons were only one game behind Washington in the NFC playoff hunt and a dangerous team on the rise.
How would the Commanders respond?
By defeating the Falcons 19-13 in another tightly-contested game. Washington leaned on its running game and trusted the defense to make plays in the end, which it did, preserving the win for the Commanders.
At 7-5, the Commanders are two games over .500 for the first time since 2018. How does team captain Jonathan Allen feel about that?
“We don’t worry about it; there’s a lot of football left,” Allen said. “We’re going put our heads down and keep working.”
You believe Allen. He cares about winning. Before coming to Washington, all he did was win. It’s always about the next game on the schedule — and only that game.
“We’re having a lot of fun; winning cures all,” Allen said. “We understand that we have to play better to get to where we want to get to. But at the end of the day winning in the NFL is tough enough, so you don’t take any win for granted.”
Cornerback Kendall Fuller, also a team captain, echoed a similar sentiment as Allen.
“I think it’s just not being satisfied,” Fuller said. “Just the work that you put in, in the offseason, OTAs and during the week it’s kind of like going in there and expecting to win. I told somebody I felt that when we played Houston last week, it wasn’t like everyone coming in and celebrating as if we weren’t supposed to win. It was like ‘Alright, that’s what we were supposed to do.’ And you can see that building.”
Those veteran perspectives are a big reason why players such as Allen, Fuller and wide receiver Terry McLaurin are team captains. They are never satisfied and regardless of how exciting one win can be, you’re always focusing on what is next.
The New York Giants are what’s next for the Commanders. At 7-4, the Giants are a half-game ahead of Washington in standings and will play the Commanders in two of the next three weeks.
We should learn even more about this team after Week 15.
