Dallas Cowboys Clash Sparks 'Pretty Good' Washington Commanders Mentality

The Washington Commanders are coming off a poor loss to the New York Giants, but head coach Ron Rivera says the team's in a good space mentally.

The Washington Commanders season hit a new low in the 31-19 loss to the New York Giants. Now sitting at 4-6 on the year, the Commanders' season is quickly falling by the wayside.

And things don't get any easier as the 7-3 Dallas Cowboys are up next for Ron Rivera's team. But if you thought the locker room would be feeling sorry for themselves after the loss to New York that saw six turnovers play a major role, well, you'd be wrong.

“I think it's been pretty good," Rivera said. "Like I said yesterday, for the most part the guys came in and were really steady, really focused in on getting ready for Dallas. So, feel pretty good about them. I think they had a good day today, brought some energy out at walkthrough.”

So, with the confidence of the group not shaken, what also might be a little confidence boost is the last time Washington faced Dallas, they won.

The 26-6 win over the Cowboys in Week 18 of last season will no doubt be used as fuel to the confidence fire as the Commanders did a number on Dallas in an emphatic way.

Ron Rivera says the team is in a confident mood ahead of its clash against the Cowboys / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

But can the team draw on anything from that Week 18 win in what was Sam Howell's first-ever start in the regular season last season as they prepare for the Cowboys on the national stage?

“Well, I think we can [win], just knowing that, again, that was Dallas' first unit, and they were still playing for playoff positioning," Rivera said. "I mean, they were in, but it was all about positioning at that point. They came out and gave a good effort and I thought Sam handled the situation pretty well.”

So, while the teams have had polar opposite seasons, this is a division game, and anything can happen.

The Cowboys are in a confident mood, while the Commanders, despite losing poorly to New York, are also in a good mindset.

AT&T Stadium likely won't hold any fears for Rivera's team as in their back pocket, they know that they beat this team soundly last season.