The loss really doesn’t matter.

Not in the long run.

Sure, the Commanders fell 37-29 to the Orlando Apollos on Sunday at the Alamodome. But, if the Commanders and the Alliance of American Football are going to make a go of this thing, there are more important things than a final score.

For one, it probably made good TV for those who have the CBS Sports Network. The game came down to Commanders coach Mike Riley deciding to go for it on fourth-and-4 with less than three minutes remaining instead of kicking a field goal and opting for the league’s fascinating onside conversion attempt — a fourth-and-12 from your 18-yard line.

And while who had the most points on the scoreboard was secondary Sunday, the fact there were so many points is key. The combined 66 points from the Commanders and Apollos was the highest of the league, so far. League officials know how important that is to keep fans interested.

So do the players and coaches.

“It’s fun for the league to see a good game like that,” Commanders linebacker Jayrone Elliott said. “We’ve been getting some low-scoring games, so I’m really happy about that.”

Heck, it even seems like the officials know. There have only been four offensive holding calls in seven games across the league. But, pass interference calls are given out like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups on Halloween.

The most important of all the numbers in the box score Sunday, though, was 29,176 — the attendance.

San Antonio is by far hosting the most successful franchise. In their first two games, the Commanders averaged 28,516 fans per game. Memphis and Arizona struggled to get fans, with less than 12,000 at each of their games. Birmingham has averaged a tick above 17,000.

“It’s crazy. I’m sure it’s the largest in the AAF so far. It’s good for us,” Commanders defensive lineman Joey Mbu said. “We feed off the energy. You can tell. They had some false starts, and we caused some miscommunication on their offense. So, we like it. We love it. In this four-week road trip that we have, I plan to get back in the community and keep that alive.”

For a franchise and a league in its second week of play, that is way more important than a win or a loss. That other San Antonio team coached by Mike Riley — the one that failed after two seasons in the early 1990s — didn’t draw 55,000 fans for its entire first season. That’s just one of 12 failed pro football teams that have tried to succeed here.

Even after the Commanders’ early success, this isn’t going to be easy.

However, the AAF has attracted attention from fans, the Twittersphere — thanks to Commanders linebacker Shaan Washington’s vicious sack last week against San Diego — and even from the NFL. And it has done that with good football.

It’s breathed life into guys who never really had it in college or the NFL. The league’s best passer might be former Texas Longhorn (and SMU) quarterback Garrett Gilbert, who struggled after getting thrown into the national championship game against Alabama as a freshman.

After completing one of his five passes in the first quarter, he tore the Commanders apart afterward, hitting 18 of 23 passes for 389 yards and two scores. He looked like the Gilbert everyone expected to see when he came out of Lake Travis.

“He wasn’t perfect today, but he was close,” Spurrier said. “He throws a beautiful pass, and receivers don’t drop his balls. We made some tough catches, and that is because he throws a nice catchable ball.”

The AAF — especially in San Antonio — through two weeks is checking off the right boxes. But there are eight weeks left.

The Commanders go on the road for four straight weeks. Can the fans sustain the same kind of enthusiasm they showed Sunday until March 23, when the Commanders come back to the Alamodome?

Sunday’s loss probably won’t help matters. Giving up the last 20 points and throwing a pick six during that stretch deflated an otherwise raucous dome.

“That’s the way of the game,” Commanders wide receiver De’Marcus Ayers said. “It’s adversity. Sometimes you start hot and end slow. Sometimes you start slow, and finish like we did last week.”

The AAF is off to one of those hot starts. Now, it has to do what the Commanders couldn’t do Sunday — finish what it started.