Ron Rivera didn’t seem to realize leaders could be eliminated on Sunday, which is almost as embarrassing as his QB decision.
It wasn’t a good day for Ron Rivera and his argument to remain the head coach of the Washington Chiefs.
Washington was stomped, 24-10, by the Browns in a game that likely cost them the playoffs.
Quarterback Carson Wentz threw three interceptions in place of Taylor Hynecke, whose name the fans were chanting.
And the head coach didn’t even realize that his postseason hopes could end with the outcome of the Packers’ game with the Vikings.
Ron Rivera didn’t know that assertiveness could take down leaders
“If you guys get wiped out today by what happens at four o’clock, that is [rookie QB] Sam Howell in mind,” a reporter asked the head coach.
Rivera stared, blinking, before replying, “Can we be eliminated?”
The most generous reading in Rivera’s answer is that he was sarcastic. However, this would be a strange moment to use sarcasm. It’s not what it used to be.
Of course, this meant that the Chiefs’ head coach was ignorant of the fact that a Packers win would make the final regular season game meaningless. Yikes.
There are a million things an NFL coach should track each week. Sometimes things slip through the cracks. But knowing whether you’ll survive the playoffs by the end of the day should be a big enough nugget to stay in your mind.
It was an embarrassing moment but it wasn’t the most embarrassing part of Rivera’s day. Granting the blessing to start Wentz over Heinicke was questionable. Heinicke may not be the perfect quarterback but his 5-3-1 record compared to Wentz’s 2-4 record a game speaks for itself. This was not the time for a QB changeover and Wentz proved it by throwing three interceptions.
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