The Washington Commanders’ 45-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day meant that there would be some casualties, given how the last couple of weeks had gone.
And it turned out to be true as defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer were relieved of their duties. The pair were the first dominos to fall after yet another poor season for Washington that now has them sitting at 4-8 on the year. For head coach Ron Rivera, things will be done differently.
“Well, without getting into the specifics as far as game planning and stuff like that, we’re going to do things differently though,” Rivera said. “I will tell you that much.” The Commanders have the last-ranked defense in the NFL for points allowed per game (29.2), as in their last three games, Del Rio’s defense had given up points totals of 29, 31, and 45.
A change needed to be made, and it was. Rivera will now take over the defensive play-calling duties for the rest of the season as the team looks to try to get something going for the remainder of the year. “We’re going to be moving forward, going to do things a little differently,” Rivera said.
“It was very tough, difficult decisions because those are two really good men, good football coaches, guys that have had a lot of success in this league. And just unfortunate the situation, circumstances, but did feel that change was something that we needed to do going forward. Really to see if we can shake some things up and get some things started.”
They say change is as good as a holiday, and while no “holiday spirit” will come from inside the locker room, the change will no doubt be welcome. Whether it brings different results is unknown, but the first dominos have fallen, and we imagine that there will be more to follow at the end of the season if things don’t improve.