Ron Rivera 'Not Gonna Fault' Commanders' Antonio Gibson For Fumble

Antonio Gibson fumbled on the Washington Commanders' first play in the fourth quarter of their 37-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

If the Washington Commanders were going to upset the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at FedEx Field, they needed to play a relatively clean game. 

The Commanders (2-1) did anything but that, as they turned the ball over five times and lost to Buffalo 37-3. Among the back-breaking turnovers was Antonio Gibson's fumble that he lost on Washington's first play of the fourth quarter after its defense forced a turnover on downs. 

Gibson caught a pass from Sam Howell, and as he tried to go upfield and spin out of a tackle, he was hit by Bills (2-1) cornerback Taron Johnson. Gibson fumbled on Johnson's hit, and Buffalo linebacker Terrel Bernard recovered the ball with just over 14 minutes left in the game.

While the fumble effectively ended any chance Washington had of making a comeback, Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said he isn't going to fault Gibson for trying to make a play, though he could have better situational awareness. 

“Well, I think in this case, more than anything else, you go right back to him," Rivera said of Gibson's fumble. "People say, 'Oh, you know, that had something to do with the way he carries the ball.' Well, you can't fault a guy for trying either. He spun, tried to get back inside and tried to spin again, and that's when he got hit. At that point, you also gotta say discretion is a better part of value. Just take it and go to the ground, and we will live with another play. But he was trying, and that to me, I'm not gonna fault a guy for trying hard.”

Washington Commanders running back Antonio Gibson / USA Today

Gibson had two carries for 17 yards and caught three passes for seven yards against Buffalo. 

The fourth-year running back's fumble was the only turnover outside of Howell's four interceptions. Howell was also sacked nine times by Buffalo. 

There is never a good time to fumble, but fumbling right after the defense forced a turnover near midfield is among the worst situations to do so. The Commanders were down 16-0 and had a chance to make it a one-possession game with a touchdown and two-point conversion. Instead, Buffalo capitalized by scoring six plays later to make it 23-0 and stick the final dagger in Washington's hopes of making a comeback. 

The Commanders will look to bounce back when they head to Lincoln Financial Field to face the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles (3-0) at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.