Prime time with the playoffs on line? Ron Rivera has been here before.
Rivera #Rivera
After Washington defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in a sloppy season finale to clinch the NFC East two years ago, Ron Rivera rhetorically asked, “Why not us?”
“If you gave me the scenario where everything else is the same, honestly, I wouldn’t have blinked,” Rivera said at the time. “The reason being is because at Week 5, I believed we had a chance at 1-3.”
In his first season as Washington’s coach, Rivera and veteran quarterback Alex Smith helped the team rebound from a rough start and earn a playoff berth, surprising those who counted out the team and poked fun at the NFC East, then the worst division in football.
Although Rivera said he had faith throughout the season, that Week 17 win in Philadelphia changed the narrative of his first year and created hope for the second.
Sunday’s prime-time game against the New York Giants has the potential to create a similar storyline.
A win would increase Washington’s playoff odds to roughly 95 percent, according to some calculations. A loss wouldn’t erase the Commanders’ chances of making the postseason, thanks to the 49ers’ win over the reeling Seahawks to clinch the NFC West on Thursday, but it would put more pressure on their subsequent game at San Francisco on a short week (losses to the Giants and the 49ers would drop Washington’s playoff chances to 38 percent).
“For the most part, we’re just talking about the significance of it to the guys, just how important it is, the opportunity that they’ve created for themselves, the way the guys have done the things that they’ve needed to do to get us to this point,” Rivera said this week. “To be two wins above .500 — this is an opportunity, and we’ve got to focus in on it.”
Although their season started similarly to previous ones, the Commanders’ turnaround (should it continue) could give Rivera his first winning season with the franchise — all while the NFC East has transformed into one of the NFL’s toughest divisions.
More important: The Commanders’ play has instilled hope that their developmental years are starting to pay off. Finally, they may be a team on the rise.
Rivera knows well how a late-season stretch can alter the narrative. It did in 2020 and again in 2021, when injuries and the coronavirus depleted the roster during a stretch of five divisional matchups.
“Now you put yourself in a position where you’ve got to compete weekly,” Rivera said. “That’s the balance; you’ve got to make sure you can stay focused on what each game means. And hopefully you can win and then you don’t have to sit there and try and map out … what’s happening in front of you, what’s happening with the other teams and the other divisions.”
A change in quarterbacks, from Carson Wentz to Taylor Heinicke, has sparked the Commanders’ midseason revival, but Rivera has also cited the continued growth of some of his young players. Defensive backs Darrick Forrest and Benjamin St-Juste, who was listed as questionable for Sunday because of an ankle injury, have helped remake the secondary. Linebacker Jamin Davis has come into his own after struggling his rookie season, and Washington’s offense turned to its running game with the arrival of Brian Robinson Jr.
Svrluga: The Commanders have entered the national picture. Now, to stay there.
“This game will serve for us as [a chance] to see where our young guys are, how our young guys handle the situation, circumstances,” Rivera said. “I think that’s a great question because when you look at as many of the young guys that we will play in this game, for some of them this is their first real experience and they’ll have to rely on some of the veteran guys.”
The game, which was flexed to “Sunday Night Football,” could also mark the season debut of Chase Young, the former defensive rookie of the year who has missed the past 21 games because of a knee injury.
Young was activated from injured reserve in late November but has yet to be active for a game. When he does return, the Commanders (7-5-1) expect to have him on a limited snap count.
In speaking to reporters Wednesday, Young said he’s “trusting the process,” and Rivera added Friday that Young has had “a couple good days” of practice. But neither offered a clear sense of whether he’ll play against the Giants (7-5-1).
NFL Week 15 best bets: Fade the Colts, trust the Vikings
“It’s one of those things where we’re looking for that cut-loose, just ‘go,’ ” Rivera said. “We’ll have to see how he is [Saturday], and we’ll see how he is Sunday.”
This late in the season, Washington’s practices have been light in an effort to keep players fresh, making it even more difficult to gauge Young’s progress.
Young assured he has maintained his confidence throughout his recovery and said he has envisioned his return, even the moment he gets his first sack since the injury.
Washington’s success on defense, especially up front on the line, has allowed the team to take its time in bringing back Young. But the injury list grew Friday to include defensive end Efe Obada, who is listed as questionable for Sunday because of a finger issue. And with only four games remaining in the regular season, Young’s return this season could be paramount for his confidence next season.
“The only way you’re really going to know is when you play, because that’s when everything is ramped up,’ Rivera said. “ … [It’s] just trusting it and going.”