WASHINGTON — Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera took over play-calling duties for the defense during Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins after firing former defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio the day after Thanksgiving.
With Rivera having double duty as head coach and defensive coordinator, his defense failed to get a sack. They also, for the second straight game, gave up 45 points.
The 45-15 loss to Miami now has Washington at 4-9. So, the season is over right? Not for Rivera.
"You've got to continue to do things that you need to do to give yourself a chance to win the football game," the head coach said. "You know, we'll play each one of those games, one game at a time."
RELATED: Fire alarm signals latest loss for Ron Rivera's Washington Commanders as their season collapses
After a season of trying to get things right, and each week telling the media that they are progressing in certain areas, that talk is no more.
"You know, the whole period of growth and development, the whole period of going through the process, in my opinion, is over," Rivera said. "We're far enough into the season now."
With a fanbase calling for his job, Rivera is in year four of a five-year deal. I wanted to know if he knew something we didn't.
“I know you've talked to the owner, Josh Harris, he’s a first-year NFL owner," I said. "Has he told you, like, don’t worry about the season, we’ll do what we're going to do, whatever we're going to do after the season going forward?“
“Exactly, and that's what I've tried to do is just stay focused and try to do the task at hand, and that's get better as a football team," Rivera replied.
The team is on their bye week, which normally means the players get to go home. However, they are scheduled to attend a meeting this week, a normal schedule without the actual practices and get back to it next week in preparation to play the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 17 in the City of Angels.
WUSA9 will sit down with Commanders Head Coach Ron Rivera every Monday throughout the 2023-2024 season. The one-on-one moments will premiere on WUSA9 at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. and again on Get Up DC every Tuesday morning. The full interview between Rivera and Chick Hernandez will be available on WUSA9+
Full interview: Ron Rivera talks firing Jack Del Rio, Sean Taylor's legacy