The Panthers game is a big game this Sunday.
No, I’m not kidding. Honestly, it is a bigger game than many may realize.
Oh, how quickly we forget.
That’s right. In one short calendar year, the Commanders revealed to all of their fan base and the NFL world that they were never going to have a winning team under Ron Rivera.
Rewind to October 1, 2023. The Commanders (2-1) went up to Philadelphia to play the Eagles and lost a tough, contested game 34-31 in overtime.
What happened next was an eye-opener. The Commanders were announced as a 6.0-point favorite to defeat the winless and hapless 0-4 Chicago Bears at FedEx Field.
Players were heard in postgame interviews talking about how the loss in Philadelphia had been a good loss. Ron Rivera continued to talk about how the culture was good and how he believed in his team and, in particular, Sam Howell at quarterback.
Reading Twitter and listening to DC sports radio the next three days, the overwhelming consensus was the Commanders were so much better than the Bears and would win handily in the Thursday Night Football game.
Watching the game was so enlightening. From the outset, it was irrefutable that Ron Rivera did not have his team ready to compete. The Commanders were a step slow, they were not intense. The fact is Ron Rivera’s team was not energetic, and they were not competing as the Bears were.
The Bears thoroughly embarrassed Rivera’s team on national television. The team that seemingly was two games better, playing at home and on a very short week, found itself down 17-0 and then 27-3 at the half. The final score was 40-20. It was the definitive moment; we all knew the Ron Rivera era was finished. He was never going to have a winning team in Washington.
Fast-forward to 2024. Ron Rivera is gone, and Dan Quinn coaches here now. His team went to Baltimore last Sunday and won respect from the Washington fan base and NFL world, competing well, though losing to the Ravens 30-23.
Similarly to the 2023 game, the Commanders are 4-2, and the Panthers are only 1-5. Again, the game is going to be a Washington home game. The Commanders are a 7.5-point favorite.
Frankly, the Commanders need to be focused and intense in preparation, ready to show they are not resting on a moral victory like the 2023 team did.
This is an opportunity for Dan Quinn and his staff to show how much better they are than the Ron Rivera staff. Have this year’s Commanders team focused to truly compete each and every week.
On more than a couple of occasions, the Ron Rivera teams (2020-23) raised expectations and hopes of the fan base, only to then lay an egg in games where they were expected to or had a chance to win.
The good teams focus on process. On Sunday, we learn how focused and mature Dan Quinn’s Commanders really are.