” Manning said, referencing Rivera’s “Riverboat Ron” nickname. In Sunday’s NFL game, Week 4’s most debated topic was the showdown between the Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles. It was a game that took the defending NFC champions, the Underdogs, to overtime before succumbing to a field goal.
Certainly, the game could have ended before overtime if Washington’s head coach, Ron Rivera, had opted for two crucial changes at the end. Instead, Rivera felt that his team had been “gassed” and chose to play it safe and send the game into overtime.
Gut Feeling Guided Rivera’s Decision
No right or wrong decision was made here; it was a gut feeling for Rivera. Surely, many people will debate the choice for a two-point conversion. After all, should they have taken their chances rather than playing it safe against Philadelphia’s defense? However, as a head coach, Rivera knows his team better than anyone else, even better than the Monday morning quarterbacks on social media. Rivera faced quite a bit of criticism for his decision.
Manning Supports Rivera’s Decision
“All right, look, Ron Rivera has established himself as a no-nonsense guy throughout his career,” Manning said, referencing Rivera’s “Riverboat Ron” nickname.“When he says that, I believe you have to trust that he thought his team was fatigued and couldn’t handle the pressure, that they were exhausted, and executing it in overtime would have been challenging.”
Post-Game Reflections and Silver Linings
And as Manning noted, it’s easy to say after the fact, “They should’ve gone for it.” He also pointed out that Howell, early in his fifth career, might not be at a point where he’s comfortable leaving the experienced coach and going for two, as Manning, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers have done. Commanders’ head coach Ron Rivera said his team played with its heart in the overtime loss to the Eagles in Week 4 before noting that there are no moral victories in the NFL.
The Silver Linings are, however, and Rivera made one, saying that Howell’s game was a “learning experience.” Howell threw four interceptions in Week 3 but bounced back and avoided turnovers in Week 4 against Philadelphia, completing 29 of 41 passes for 290 yards and a touchdown.
Rivera’s Vote of Confidence in Howell
Rivera gave Howell a vote of confidence after his rough outing, saying, “I thought he acted pretty well, made quicker decisions. He had a really good feel for what was going on out there. He made some pretty quick decisions, got the ball out of his hand, and kept them off-balance as much as he could. So, again, a really good progression, and I think his mental toughness really showed up again.”
Howell was benched five times, so there’s still work to be done to clean up things for the Commanders. They’ll be trying to do that in a short week this week, but facing the winning Bears might help in that effort.
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