The end is going to come for Ron Rivera in Washington, quite possibly Friday, a day after their likely Thanksgiving Day demolition at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys. If he makes it through that game, it could happen at the start of December after the Commanders lose to the Miami Dolphins in Week 13. If not that game, the Commanders have a bye the following week.
Owner Josh Harris has no reason left to keep the affable Rivera, a man who brought dignity to the franchise throughout the final years of the Daniel Snyder era. The team owes Rivera a debt of gratitude for that, but after going 0-2 against the brutal New York Giants, they don’t owe him anything else.
“He could make it through the end of the season,” said one AFC executive. “But that’s it. It’s a matter of whom the new owner wants to put in the position. It’s clear that Ron’s time in Washington is in its final moments.”
Getting worse, not better
It’s about progress for the Commanders, and Ron Rivera's club has not made any. A good argument can be made that Washington’s performance against the Giants was nearly as bad as Denver’s in their Week 3 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins, a game in which the previously awful Broncos defense allowed 726 yards.
The Commanders turned the ball over six times to the Giants, and Jersey Boy Tommy DeVito threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns. Prior to the game, it appeared that the Giants had an excellent chance of going winless the rest of the season.
The Commanders would simply not let that happen as they lost by double digits to a team forced to play with its No. 3 quarterback behind what may be the worst offensive line in the NFL. Proof of that is the nine sacks that DeVito suffered in the win.
If the Giants have the worst offensive line in football, what does that say about the Commanders’ secondary? Receivers were running free and clear all afternoon, just as they have been throughout the season. Rivera’s strength is as a defensive leader – as it has been since he was a solid player on the all-time great 1985 Chicago Bears defense. He was mentored by Buddy Ryan and Bud Carson, and he knows more about defense than most of his peers.
Ron Rivera message not getting across
But that knowledge is not translating to his players, and it rarely has during his four seasons with the Commanders.
Prior to being hired by Washington in 2020, Ron Rivera served as head coach of the Carolina Panthers, and he led that team to the Super Bowl after the 2015 season when the Panthers rampaged through the league with a 15-1 record before a shocking 24-10 loss to the Broncos in Super Bowl 50.
Rivera was an assistant coach for 14 years before he got his first head coaching opportunity. He came close to glory with the Panthers, but his teams have had just one winning season since that Super Bowl disappointment.
Possible replacements include assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Bill Belichick, Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson or Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Belichick is the pie-in-the-sky candidate, and Harris would have to pay a huge price – both to Belichick and in compensation to the Patriots – to make that happen.
But Ron Rivera’s time is coming to an end, and it’s just a matter of when.
It’s not just the O’Connell-Dobbs show in Minnesota … Flores-Pace partnership plays key role on defense
Kevin O’Connell has thrust himself into Coach of the Year conversation, largely for his work with newcomer Josh Dobbs.
Since joining the Vikings at the trade deadline October 31, Dobbs has run for a touchdown and thrown for a score in each of his three games. The Vikings are 2-1 in those games, and the only loss was by a 21-20 margin to the Broncos in Week 11.
The Vikings are in a playoff position as they prepare for their Week 12 Monday night game against the Bears, and there is more to this team than an emergency acquisition at quarterback.
In addition to that dominant theme, the partnership between defensive coordinator Brian Flores and rookie linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. is also notable.
Pace was undrafted out of Cincinnati, but he made a huge impression with his speed and know-how during training camp. He has played in all 11 games this season and started seven of them.
Pace forced into key role
After defensive captain Jordan Hicks went on injured reserve with a shin injury that required surgery, Flores selected Pace to step into the role of defensive signal-caller. That’s a huge responsibility for any player – let alone an undrafted rookie.
Pace is undersized – 5-10 and 231 pounds – but he came through with nine tackles against the Broncos. He has 46 tackles, one forced fumble and one pass defensed this season.
Minnesota's season is now largely dependent on Dobbs and Pace. Dobbs was not on the radar until three-plus weeks ago, and Pace was a long shot to make the team prior to training camp.
If the Vikings make the playoffs, those players will almost certainly key that run.
This and that …
— The Chicago Bears had a 98.8 percent chance of winning with 3:59 left in the fourth quarter and a 26-14 lead over the Lions. However, Jared Goff did not get the message.
Goff completed nine of his final 10 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown to pull off the comeback, making the Bears' defense and head coach Matt Eberflus look silly.
The Bears had won 24 in a row dating back to 2007 when finishing a game with a plus-three turnover margin.
The Bears held the ball for 40:24, but still found a way to lose. Whenever they had held the ball for at least 40 minutes, they had been 9-0 in those games throughout their history. The Bears have been playing professional football since 1924.
— Dallas cornerback DaRon Bland is on the verge of becoming a superstar. Bland returned his fourth interception for a touchdown this season against the Panthers. If he can get one more, he will own the NFL record in that category. He has tied Ken Houston (1971), Jim Kearney (1972) and Eric Allen (1993) for best single-season mark.
— Zach Wilson is a terrible NFL quarterback, but it would be wrong to put all the blame on him for the Jets' miserable offensive showing. Try looking at offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and his deadly dull play calling. The Giants won a game with Tommy DeVito at quarterback and the Browns did the same with Dorian Thompson-Robinson. It's not going to get any better for the Jets this week with Tim Boyle under center.
— Texans rookie C.J. Stroud had his first NFL hiccup in the Texans' Week 11 21-16 victory over the Cardinals. He threw three interceptions in that game, more than doubling his previous season total of two picks. It could get tough for Stroud with games coming up against the Jaguars, Broncos and Jets.
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