Washington Football Team studs and duds from Week 5 loss to Rams

Dud No. 5 – Ron Rivera

Ron Rivera’s message has appeared contradictory to itself before, and that’s even more apparent after the Washington Football Team’s 30-10 loss against Los Angeles.

Rivera made the decision to bench Dwayne Haskins because he felt that Washington had enough pieces to compete in the NFC East this year. Already, he shelved long-term growth for meaningless short-term contention.

Then, on Sunday, with Washington down just 13-7, and with the Rams’ offense clearly clicking against Washington’s defense, Rivera chose not to play to win on a fourth-and-one from his own 40-yard line. Rivera instead punted, intending to give the Rams a longer field. Guess what? They drove down that long field anyway, and made the lead 20-7.

Washington lost to the Rams 30-10. The offense was plainly terrible, and the defense, the unit that Rivera views as win-ready, was similarly uninspiring. With Washington now four games deep in a losing streak, Rivera needs to make a decision: Are they truly playing to win, or can we accept that they legitimately need time to develop? Can we go back to focusing on the development that Washington sorely needs, and re-evaluating with that primary purpose in mind?

Rivera can’t have his foot in both camps anymore. Washington can’t chase the playoffs and the No. 1 pick at once.