It’s not just a cliché when they say “Any given Sunday” in the NFL. The latest example is the lesson that Ron Rivera and the Washington Commanders learned in Week 11. Although the New York Giants looked totally inept against the Dallas Cowboys in the week prior, the Commanders fell to that same Giants week in what many felt like should be a convincing victory.
The Commanders have been hovering around playoff contention as we close in on Thanksgiving, and now, because of the disappointing loss, they head into a showdown with the Cowboys on a prime-time stage, scratching their heads a little bit.
Commanders Ron Rivera Expresses Concern After Loss
It’s one thing to lose in the NFL; it’s another to do so against a team that you feel like you should have handled soundly. Such is the case for Rivera and his Commanders team, as on Sunday, they lost to the then 2-8 Giants thanks to six turnovers.
When asked about the game, Rivera did not hold back about his disappointment and what the feeling is around the team right now.
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“Well, it’s a low point, that’s for sure,” Rivera said via The Athletic.”Any time you got an opportunity to win a football game, and you put up the numbers that we did, you got a chance … but you got to convert.”
Despite showing signs of life on offense, the Commanders turned the ball over one too many times to win on Sunday, and the fate of the afternoon was sealed when quarterback Sam Howell threw an arrant pass up in the air, allowing Giants linebacker Isaiah Simmons to grab it and return it for a game-sealing touchdown.
Rivera on the Hot Seat
The NFL is a results-based industry. It doesn’t matter how pretty it is in a loss or how bad it looked in a win. What matters at the end of the day is simply if you got the job done. The fact of the matter is during Rivera’s time in Washington, the team just has not gotten it done.
Add in the fact there is new ownership and maybe an eye for a fresh start for all parties involved, and Rivera finds himself in a very tense situation for the remainder of the season. The Commanders are still in the hunt for a playoff spot, but they are going to have to go on a run here, and the schedule does not lend them any favors.
First up is the red-hot Cowboys on Thanksgiving, followed by the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams.
The feeling is that Rivera’s seat is scorching hot, and depending on what happens in the next three weeks or so, his fate may be sealed sooner rather than later.
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