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It’s no secret that Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera needs to win in 2023. In three seasons as Washington’s head coach, Rivera has a 22-27-1 record. He raised expectations in his first season, leading Washington to an NFC East title, despite a 7-9 record.
While Washington didn’t have a winning record in 2020, Rivera did an impressive job improving a three-win team from 2019, despite starting four quarterbacks and battling cancer.
Those raised expectations took a big step back in 2021 when Washington went 7-10. In 2022, the Commanders looked like a playoff team entering December before losing or tying four of their last five games.
So, Rivera needs a winning season to prove he should return for a fifth season in 2024. Then, when you factor in a new owner, something Rivera knows well from his time in Carolina, the 2023 season is one of the most critical of Rivera’s coaching career.
CBS Sports recently named eight coaches on shaky ground entering 2023. Rivera was one of those eight:
You can’t question Rivera’s leadership, the way he’s willingly embraced a polarizing franchise and at least kept Washington in the wild-card mix. His trademark defensive flourishes have also produced a perpetually stingy D-line. But like previous regimes, he’s cycled through mid-tier QB rentals; it’s the chief reason he’s gone 51-58, with zero playoff wins, since his peak with the Panthers in 2015. Now, in a loaded division, he’s asking 2022 fifth-rounder Sam Howell, or journeyman Jacoby Brissett, to carry the load.
These are all facts about Rivera’s time in D.C. He’s faced some challenging circumstances. Some of those circumstances are unlike any that previous NFL coaches have faced.
Rivera has seen enough recycled veteran quarterback options. That’s why he is giving Sam Howell a chance to be Washington’s quarterback of the present — and future. And hiring Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator could be a move that pays huge dividends for Rivera in 2023.