Washington Commanders GAMEDAY vs. Atlanta Falcons - How to Watch, Betting Odds

The Washington Commanders look to bounce back against the Atlanta Falcons.

The Washington Commanders take on the Atlanta Falcons in a matchup between young rosters and second-year quarterbacks. Atlanta signal caller Desmond Ridder and Washington quarterback Sam Howell are both coming off career-best games as they prepare to face each other on the field.

While Howell had the game of his life thus far in the NFL in last week's loss to the Bears, Washington is mired in a three-game losing streak after season-opening wins over Arizona and Denver. Last week's poor defensive performance outweighed Howell's career-best 388 yards and 37 completions.

On the other side of the ball, Ridder registered his first 300-yard game in the NFL and set career highs in completions with 28 and yards at 329 as the Falcons beat the Texans. His career marks a week after giving up three turnovers vs. the Jaguars.

Sam Howell (L) and Desmond Ridder / FanStreamSports.com

While Ridder attributed his success to his offensive line, the Commanders' offensive front let Howell down.

“Obviously, I think we’ve been in some situations where we’ve been down more than we’d like to be down,” Howell said. “We got to do a better job of starting faster and not putting ourselves in those situations.”

Washington also lost one of its starting safeties in Darrick Forrest to a fractured shoulder. He'll miss at least four games and put further stress on the league's No. 21-ranked defense. Forrest's spot will fall to rookie Quan Martin and second-year pro Percy Butler.

“Let’s get ready to roll and we don’t have time to worry about those things,” Washington coach Ron Rivera said. “But we drafted Percy for a reason. We got Quan for a reason, and this is why."

WHAT: Washington Commanders (2-3) at Atlanta Falcons (3-2)

WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023, 1 p.m. ET

WHERE: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia (75,000)

TELEVISION: CBS / FuboTV (try it free)

RADIO: WMAL 105.9

TICKETS via SI TICKETS

Betting via SI SportsBook

SPREAD: Commanders +2.5

TOTAL: 42.5

MONEYLINE: Commanders +120, Falcons -141