ASHBURN, Va. — Turning the ball over six times and giving up eight plays longer than 20 yards added up to another embarrassing loss for the Washington Commanders.
They're 4-7, there are questions about Ron Rivera's future and the path forward isn't getting any easier with a game at the Dallas Cowboys coming up Thursday.
"The biggest thing is missed opportunities. We had a couple of guys in position to make plays and they didn't," Rivera said of the loss.
Rivera knows his fate, but there isn't much he can do about it. They would need to run the table and their final six games to be playoff bound. A game against Dallas is usually a huge deal around the DMV, but all anyone can think about from a fan perspective is firing Rivera, the entire staff and starting over.
For his part, Rivera has been steady about coaching one game at a time, saying he can't control the future. So does he care about his job security?
“I truly care about what my future is with this team. Just because I see some things that tell me that these things are headed in the right direction. You know, I've been through situations like this before as a player, as a coach and as a head coach. And I've seen it happen and I've seen it get better.”
The problem is, it's too late. Four years into the job, with brand new ownership, the clock is ticking. There is no doubt Rivera helped the organization. He led a culture change in the building. A culture issue that was led by former owner Dan Snyder, which ultimately led to Snyder selling the team, something he said he would never do.
"The last four years have not been normal. There has been nothing normal about the four seasons I've been here," Rivera said.
Josh Harris, Mark Ein, Michell Rales and Magic Johnson are the main faces of the new ownership group. Rivera has spoken to Harris many times during the season.
“Mr. Harris, all the ownership that has been around have all been great. They've been supportive of the things that we're trying to do. But make no bones about it. You know, it was said, that this is about winning. And I respect that," Rivera said.
There are still games to coach. The Commanders will face off against the Dallas Cowboys in a Thanksgiving game.
“This is a great rivalry. It's a lot of fun to coach. Probably would have been a lot of fun to play in it, too.”