'Dallas Week' & 'No Regrets!' Commanders Coach Ron Rivera on QB Carson Wentz
The Washington Commanders' season ended on Sunday as they lost to the Cleveland Browns 24-10, which meant a Green Bay win over the Minnesota Vikings would eliminate their playoff hopes...and that's precisely what happened.
Had the Commanders managed to defeat Cleveland, a Week 18 win over the Dallas Cowboys would have been enough to punch their ticket into the playoffs.
Washington was all kinds of bad, and recently re-installed starting quarterback Carson Wentz was not good, either. He threw for just 143 yards and three interceptions in the loss. But head coach Ron Rivera has no regrets about starting Wentz over Taylor Heinicke.
“No, because to me it was always about winning and that it was in our hands," Rivera said. "We controlled our destiny basically and that's the truth of the matter. Being 0-2-1 in the last three games was probably a thing that really pushed me more than anything else. I was relatively optimistic in terms of dealing with what Carson could do. It's the decision that was made because I felt we needed a little something ...
Wentz's audience reaction during the game was a little hostile as fans were chanting for Heinicke to be put in the game. Even though Wentz said post-game that it's a part of football, it isn't ideal.
With the season now all but over with one game remaining after having their playoff destiny in their hands, the Commanders face the Cowboys at FedEx Field to close the season.
Rivera has a simple message for the fans. They're going to try and win.
“Well, we appreciate everything they've done" (the fans), Rivera said. "It's Dallas Week. We're going to go out and play our best football this time of year and we're playing to win. I mean that's all there is to it.”
That's all there is. A meaningless game to close out the season. Could things have panned out differently had Heinicke been under center?
We will never know.
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