Ron Rivera-coached teams have a great track record late in the year
As the year goes along, Ron Rivera-coached teams tend to get better. That would be good for the Redskins.
Ron Rivera is taking over the Washington Redskins after spending the previous nine seasons in charge of the Carolina Panthers. During his tenure in Carolina, Rivera’s teams were noted for their good locker room chemistry and strong team culture. And that’s what Rivera is hoping to bring with him to Washington.
That said, Rivera also has a penchant for getting his teams to play their best football down the stretch. That’s something that can’t be said of Jay Gruden’s teams nor many of the other recent Redskins coaches.
But just how good have Rivera’s teams been late in the season? According to ESPN’s John Keim, the Panthers had the league’s fifth-best December/January regular-season record from 2011-18.
Rivera was asked what he wanted the Redskins to be in December. “On a roll,” he said. Pointed out success in that month in Carolina. Indeed, the Panthers were 25-14 in reg season games in Dec/Jan from 2011-18. That’s fifth best in the NFL during that time; @ESPNStatsInfo
— John Keim (@john_keim) May 20, 2020
Needless to say, a mark of 25-14 in those games is more than solid. And that’s one of the reasons that the Panthers seemed to perennially be in the Wild Card hunt before injuries to Cam Newton the past couple of seasons slowed their roll.
And for those wondering why December of 2019 was omitted from that stat, it’s because Rivera was fired by the Panthers in season and didn’t coach in December; interim head coach Perry Fewell led the squad to an 0-4 record in Rivera’s absence.
Here’s what this means for the Redskins. As the season goes along, Rivera’s teams tend to gel. And by the time December is here, they tend to play their best ball. That may not have much of an impact on the squad in 2020 considering that the team still has some massive holes. But if the team can progress in 2020 and build momentum at the end of the season in December, that will give them a chance to carry it over to 2021.
And beyond that, if they can start finding ways to win late in the season now, it could prepare them for a future stretch run if they can build their team properly.
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This stat is yet another showcase of the positives that Rivera can bring to this Redskins team. Again, it doesn’t mean that they’re guaranteed to find late-season success, but if Rivera can instill his culture and get everyone to compete, they’ll at least have a chance to be effective during the stretch run.