After a sparkling 27-3 first half, the Chicago Bears started to let the reins go a little bit against the Washington Commanders Thursday night. With nothing to lose at the start of the second stanza, Washington marched right down the field and captured a two-point conversion to narrow the margin to 27-11.
Then, with an opportunity to really make the Bears sweat, Washington found itself with a perfectly attainable fourth-and-short inside the 10-yard line at the end of the third quarter. Against one of the NFL’s worst defenses, the obvious logical decision was to go for it and try and make it a one-score game with time quickly ticking. Chicago clearly had no answer.
But Ron Rivera was interested in playing it way too safe. He kicked a field goal to make a two-possession game … a two-possession game.
That old “Riverboat Ron” nickname feels long dead and gone.
Commanders QB Sam Howell comes up with a gutty third-down run to set up a 4th-and-3.
Despite being down 16 points deep into the third quarter, Ron Rivera and the Commanders elect to kick a field goal.
Some serious second-guessing going on at FedEx Field pic.twitter.com/Soa8DQuJuV
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 6, 2023
This just isn’t how a modern coach should approach football. You are never guaranteed red-zone trips. If there are just under 20 minutes left in the game, it’s time to put the foot on the gas. If the other team’s players are spiraling, that’s when you step on their throat.
No one evidently relayed this message along to Rivera. And it cost his team dearly.