LANDOVER — Days before Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans, Ron Rivera hinted big changes could be on the horizon if his team did not turn things around. The Washington Commanders coach kept his intentions vague, only to say that the Commanders were “getting close” to the moment when a shake-up might be needed.
“When you get to this point, you have to determine if what’s going on is a liability,” Rivera told NBC Sports Washington.
Against the Titans, Rivera finally reached that breaking point. And it still wasn’t enough.
No, quarterback Carson Wentz wasn’t benched in Sunday’s 21-17 loss to the Titans. But Rivera sat high-priced cornerback William Jackson III, benching him late in the first quarter and moving Benjamin St-Juste to the outside. And the Commanders made a series of other tweaks heading into the matchup: Offensive coordinator Scott Turner called plays from the coaches’ box rather than the sideline, where he spent the first four games. Rookie Brian Robinson Jr., six weeks after being shot twice in an armed robbery attempt, made his season debut to provide a physical presence to Washington’s run game.
The changes ultimately didn’t matter — not when Wentz, Rivera’s boldest acquisition of his three-year tenure with Washington, gave up a loss-sealing interception near the goal line with six seconds left.
Though he led an 87-yard drive all the way down to Tennessee’s 2-yard line over the final five minutes, Wentz couldn’t close. Sunday was a markedly better day for the seven-year veteran — he threw for a season-high 359 yards — than the past few weeks, but when the game was on the line, Wentz stared down running back J.D. McKissic and Titans linebacker David Long Jr. intercepted the ball at the 1-yard line.
That’s not what Rivera brought in Wentz to do. But little this season has unfolded in the manner the coach expected. His team is 1-4. They’re a distant last in a competitive NFC East. And his decision-making — his choices — are now under fire in a way they’ve rarely been in his tenure.
“For you maybe, but not for me,” Rivera said when asked if it was “panic time” for his group. “I’m not going to panic. Because why? There’s plenty of football left, OK? We’re going to work our butts off to get better. That’s all we can do. … This is not going to happen overnight.”
Three years in, Rivera’s high-profile signings and acquisitions have fizzled, especially when it cme to Wentz and Jackson. Rivera, unlike most coaches, supposedly has control over personnel — general manager Martin Mayhew and executive Marty Hurney report to him.
The Commanders signed Jackson to a three-year, $42 million deal in March 2021, but the cornerback’s fit with Washington has been awkward from the jump. Jackson played in a heavy man-to-man defense with his former team, the Cincinnati Bengals, and he has struggled in his second year with Washington to adapt to the team’s zone-centric scheme. In last week’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys, he committed multiple penalties and allowed a long touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb.
This week wasn’t much better. With 6:01 left in the first quarter on third-and-1, Jackson missed a tackle on star Titans running back Derrick Henry — blowing a chance to get Washington’s defense off the field. Instead, the Titans went on to score their first touchdown of the day.
When Washington’s defense came out for its next series late in the first, Jackson was no longer on the field. The Commanders moved St-Juste from the slot to the outside, where the 6-foot-3 second-year corner matches up well against big receivers. St-Juste flashed potential on the outside as a rookie and in a Week 3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles when Jackson was out with a back injury.
Speaking to reporters, Jackson blamed his back injury for his benching — though Rivera made no mention of the injury in his postgame press conference when asked about the change.
“It’s one of those things that treatment don’t really help it,” Jackson said, telling reporters he has a bulging disc in his back.
The changes in the secondary, meanwhile, led to what was arguably the defensive line’s best outing of the season. The Commanders sacked Ryan Tannehill five times — four of which came after Jackson’s departure.
But the Commanders’ reconfigured secondary was far from perfect. The Titans (3-2) led at multiple points. Tennessee had a lengthy 15-play, 81-yard drive to help take a 14-10 lead just before halftime.
Then, in the second half, Tennessee’s Nick Westbrook-Ikhine broke free on a deep route that left Commanders safety Bobby McCain trailing as Tannehill hit the wide receiver for a 61-yard bomb. That put the Titans into prime scoring territory, and Henry punched in a 1-yard touchdown a few plays later to retake the lead.
“I have never played baseball but that is what I assume a center fielder feels like,” Westbrook-Ikhine said of his catch.
Still, the Commanders hung around. Unlike the past two games, when Washington’s offense ground to a halt, Wentz and the offense hit on big plays that made Sunday’s contest a back-and-forth affair. Wide receiver Dyami Brown — only playing extended snaps because rookie Jahan Dotson was out with a hamstring injury — hauled in touchdowns of 75 and 30 yards to give the Commanders the lead each time. The latter put Washington ahead 17-14 in the third.
But Wentz’s interception ended Washington’s comeback bid. Rivera and Turner arguably did their quarterback no favors, either. On the offense’s final drive, which started with 4:46 left, Washington ran only six plays in nearly three minutes of game time — wasting precious seconds off the clock. And by the time Washington got into the red zone, the Commanders had no timeouts remaining — making it an obvious throwing situation.
Rivera showed some annoyance when asked about his decision-making, telling reporters, “It’s great to be able to second guess though.”
Those questions, however, come with the territory of being 1-4. Decisions will indeed be second-guessed — coaching or otherwise.
“It’s very frustrating,” Wentz said. “It’s a bit of an emotional roller-coaster there. You’re feeling very confident in your ability … It kind of stings a little bit extra because we thought we had it there.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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