After another hard-fought battle in which his Washington Commanders narrowly escaped Soldier Field with a 12-7 victory, head coach Ron Rivera was fired up after the game on Thursday night. Clearly still stewing from an intense competition, Rivera then had to face questions from the local media, as usual, following the conclusion of a game.
Like a lot of questions lately, this one centered around the lackluster play of starting quarterback Carson Wentz. He may have snuck out with a win on Thursday, but the QB finished with just 99 passing yards, technically 86 as a team, since he also took three sacks, losing 13 yards.
But Rivera’s post-game press conference took a quick turn, and it likely stemmed from a report that leaked on Thursday morning, suggesting team owner Dan Snyder ultimately chose Wentz to be the team’s next franchise quarterback. Coach Rivera didn’t like that one bit. Here was his response.
Alright, so he watched the tape in freaking Indianapolis.
It seems Rivera had enough of, well, the media. He stormed off after the line of questioning.
The Commanders now have nine days to prepare for a battle with the Green Bay Packers. While Wentz has faced scrutiny, with some even calling for fifth-round rookie Sam Howell to take over, it doesn’t sound like coach Rivera is anywhere near pulling the plug on the Wentz wreck fest. That might be a mistake, but at least now we know, he’s the guy who pulled out the sheets of paper and looked at the analytics, not Snyder.
That doesn’t make Wentz any better on the field. If anything, maybe it only makes coach Rivera’s seat even hotter. Perhaps that’s why he’s so dang mad, even after a win. Yet, their latest punt fest, in which Washington was outgained 392 yards to 214, certainly wasn’t pretty.
Related: 3 reasons why it’s time for the Washington Commanders to fire Ron Rivera