Week 11 just became a lot more meaningful for Ron Rivera

Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera has come under a lot of scrutiny over the first nine games of the season.

Some of that’s been deserved, as he botched the release of Dustin Hopkins. He also hasn’t handled himself well in front of the media at times, like when he essentially wished for the team to have lower expectations heading into the year.

But enough about the past. Let’s focus on the present.

While Rivera will have his work cut out for him to dig Washington out of their current hole — their  improbable upset over Tampa Bay on Sunday was a good start! — the 59-year-old is unlikely to coach a more meaningful game this season than the team’s Week 11 trip to Carolina.

Not only will Rivera be returning to his old stomping grounds, but he could be going to battle against his former quarterback, Cam Newton, whom the Panthers re-signed after they placed Sam Darnold on IR.

Washington head coach Ron Rivera is due for an emotional weekend in his return to Charlotte.

It’s almost like these storylines write themselves.

This game was already going to be emotional for Rivera. He coached in Carolina for nine years from 2011 to 2019, leading them to a 76-63 record and four playoff appearances, culminating in a magical 2015 campaign when the Panthers finished 15-1 and came up short in Super Bowl 50 to the Broncos.

But the fact Rivera’s return to Charlotte could also mark Newton’s unprecedented second debut  start with the Panthers is straight out of a fairytale.

Rivera and Newton have a long history. The three-time Pro Bowler was Rivera’s first-ever draft pick as a head coach. Of course, the Panthers took Newton first overall back in 2011 after he won the Heisman at Auburn in 2010.

They spent nine years together and both left Carolina in 2019 after the franchise decided to hit the reset button and rebuild.

Rivera and Newton weren’t the most successful head coach-quarterback duo, but there’s something to be said that they posted a winning record over their near-decade partnership.

That history is why so many fans and talking heads were campaigning for Washington to take a flier on Newton after he was shockingly released by the Patriots and Ryan Fitzpatrick got injured in Week 1.

It’s too early to tell whether Cam is actually “back,” but he gave fans a good teaser on Sunday by accounting for two touchdowns on nine snaps in a win over Arizona just days after he re-signed with his former franchise.

This might not be the reunion Rivera had in mind when the 2021 schedule was released, but we desperately hope Washington can get him a win. Given everything he’s gone through the last year — from his battle with cancer and being the face of the most dysfunctional franchise in the NFL —  it’s the least he deserves.