ASHBURN, VA - MARCH 17: A view of a Washington Commanders helmet on display during a press conference to introduce quarterback Carson Wentz at Inova Sports Performance Center on March 17, 2022 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Rivera wants to do things differently as a defensive coordinator.
The Washington Commanders will be heading in a different direction in the last leg of their 2023 season.
On Friday, following the team’s 45-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, Commanders head coach **Ron Rivera** announced that he had relieved Jack Del Rio and Brent Vieselmeyer of their respective duties as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. The move came after Washington fell to 4-8, including three consecutive losses from Weeks 10-12, and the defense had given up the most points in the league (350) by a decent margin.
The decision has been on Rivera’s mind for “a bit,” but with five games left, it became apparent that something needed to change. Rivera will take over as the team’s defensive play-caller with input from Senior Defensive Advisor/Safeties Richard Rodgers in an effort to show some improvement going forward.
“Just unfortunate [with] the situation, circumstances,” Rivera told reporters on Friday, “but [I] did feel that change was something that we needed to do going forward. Really to see if we can shake some things up and get some things started.”
Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium for their Week 12 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. (Photos by Emilee Fails/Washington Commanders)
Slow starts have been the norm for Washington’s defense since the 2020 season. In the previous three seasons, the unit followed a similar path; it gave up yards and points in large chunks in the first half eight games before looking better — and occasionally like one of the league’s best — for the rest of the year.
But such a bump has not come on that side of the ball for the Commanders. They are 29th in yards allowed and 32nd in points allowed, and during the Commanders’ three-game losing streak, they have given up 404 yards and 35 points per contest.
The secondary, which looked to be one of the team’s biggest strengths in the offseason because of the returning players plus two drafts picks adding depth, has struggled the most. They rank 29th in yards allowed, and they have given up 49 pass plays of at least 20 yards.
To Rivera, watching the Cowboys game unfold was like a “snowball” effect. “We’re all culpable,” Rivera said, but it was clear that something needed to be done.
“We have to be better,” Rivera said. “We know that. I think shaking it up now gives us an opportunity to do some things differently and play some guys differently and see what’s going on and see if we can do things to make some things happen, in a positive sense.”
