3 telling revelations from the Commanders’ loss to the Vikings

2. Ron Rivera still struggles with in-game management

As the Vikings were able to slowly widdle the clock down following John Ridgeway’s penalty, it was easy to look at the Commanders’ (lack of) timeouts. They only had one remaining, one was blown for them to come up with the brilliant 4th & inches failed play call, and another on a challenge that Washington was never going to win.

Neither timeout needed to be burned in that situation. The fourth and inches game plan should have been pretty simple: sneak it, and if Minnesota stops you, tip your cap. Instead, the Commanders wasted a timeout, to try to outsmart their opponent, only for them to shoot themselves in the foot.

Rivera must be getting poor information from those telling him to challenge calls, as well. Because challenging the spot of the ball on Heinicke’s scramble was both unlikely to be overturned, and largely inconsequential. They had one yard to get on two downs, as they faced a 3rd & 1 at midfield.

On the next play, Armani Rodgers would scamper for 25 yards on a tight end sweep. The timeout was wasted for mostly nothing. That comes only four weeks after Rivera haplessly wasted a timeout on Washington’s final drive against Tennessee, and their lack of those came crucial later in that drive.

Add that to Rivera’s puzzling conservative nature near the end of the first halves, to sit on his timeouts and take a slim lead or deficit into the half compounds the confusion. He either keeps his timeouts when it is not needed in the first half or confusingly accepts the risk of losing them in the second half when the object is to conserve them.

Ron Rivera should be applauded for having his guys ready to battle over the past month and a half. They went toe-to-toe with a 6-1 Minnesota Vikings team. However, at some point, his in-game management needs to be called out. He is putting his teams in losing situations by continually managing the clock and his timeouts poorly.