WASHINGTON — The Washington Commanders are trending in the wrong direction. Losers in five of their last six games and they're now zero and three in the NFC East with no let-up ahead. Yet, Commanders head coach Ron Rivera can still see the light.
"There were so many good things, in my opinion, that outweighed the negative, with the exception of losing that game," Rivera said as he sat down with WUSA9 Chick Hernandez.
Rivera highlighted the growth of the team and said the first half against Philly was one of the best he'd seen this season. He spotlighted some changes to the offensive line that kept quarterback Sam Howell from getting sacked.
"Chris Paul playing left guard, Tyler Larsen playing center, gave us two big stout guys who held the point very nicely. It created a little pocket so Sam could step up and throw a good ball."
The D-line, which was supposed to be the backbone of a defense expected to be among the NFL's best, has not been enough of a difference-maker, and young defensive backs have experienced some tough growing pains.
The Commanders have allowed 33 or more points five times this season. That's not a recipe for success with a young quarterback in Howell learning a new offense.
"I think there's some inconsistencies that we have to get better at," Rivera said of his defense.
In the loss, Howell threw for a career-high 397 yards and had four TD passes against Philadelphia. He completed 24 passes in the first half, the most of any QB in franchise history.
"Sam is showing you his young maturity. He is growing in that position as your quarterback. His numbers were what you're looking for and what we're hoping to get from him," Rivera said. "I do think this is a young man who's showing, every time he gets on the football field, what he's capable of, and it's been really good to see."
While his squad gets ready to go up against the New England Patriots, the NFL trade deadline also hits at 4 p.m. Tuesday. Guys like defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young could be hot commodities.
While Rivera wouldn't share specifics, he did share a bit of the process.
"It's a collaboration, you know, it's not necessarily one person saying, 'This is it, that's how it's gonna be.' You try to get as much information as you can, everything from the analytics to the scouting reports on whatever needs to be down, so you can make the right decision," Rivera explained.
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+
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"I'm going to continue to stay steady," Rivera told WUSA9's Chick Hernandez.