Three things for Washington Football Team to be thankful for this Thanksgiving

Ron Rivera

The third thing the Washington Football Team can be thankful for is Ron Rivera.

Has the first year of Ron Rivera been perfect? Far from it. Is Ron Rivera the next Joe Gibbs? Who knows. But there are a few patterns that are beginning to emerge after just one year of Rivera’s leadership that simply haven’t been around these parts of town for a while.

The first year in D.C. for Rivera has been about as tough as you could script. A name change to a historic franchise, dealing with COVID-19 through the draft, the offseason, and the regular season. Dealing with Washington’s scandals from all levels, and working to clean the mess from decades of broken trust with the fans. All the while, Rivera was fighting cancer and receiving IV treatments at halftime just to have the energy to keep coaching his team.

But Rivera’s fight is a reflection of the fight his team is putting out there on gamedays. Sure, they are 3-7. But Washington has been competitive in most of these games, and quitting is simply something we aren’t seeing. Watching leaders like Rivera and Smith are giving way to new leaders in the locker room, like Terry McLaurin.

The fight for the NFC East is almost laughable, being that there isn’t a single good team in the division. But don’t ignore the bigger fight that Ron Rivera and this Washington team is out to win. They are fighting to change a broken culture. They are fighting to change the losing mentality of tanking that has plagued this franchise for years. Whether they come out on top or not is almost irrelevant. It’s the fight to do so that should give Washington fans reason to believe again.

So while you gather around with loved ones to give thanks and ultimately to stuff your face this Thanksgiving, you better believe that Washington has its own reasons to be thankful.