During a short week of practice, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott made time to plan a special Thanksgiving celebration - planting turkey legs in the iconic Salvation Army kettles positioned in each of the team’s end zones.
Prescott also got permission from his coach, Mike McCarthy, to incur a 15-yard penalty for celebrating by eating turkey from the kettle. McCarthy told him it was fine as long as the game was out of hand.
That was hardly a concern. Washington has lost a lot this year, but the Commanders were embarrassed twice in the last five days, first to Tommy DeVito and the Giants and on Thursday on national television to Dallas.
Friday, Commanders coach Ron Rivera responded by firing defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer. Rivera will take over calling the defensive plays, while Christian Garcia will be elevated into Vieselmeyer’s job.
Del Rio had been Rivera’s coordinator for all four seasons in Washington, and while the defense started the year with six first-round draft picks playing, they were never able to turn that talent into production.
Washington has the league’s worst defense this year, allowing 29.2 points per game.
“For whatever reason, it just wasn’t coming together,” Rivera said. “We haven’t played as well as we’d like to have this season.
“I think shaking it up now gives us an opportunity to do some things differently and play some guys differently.”
Rivera wouldn’t go into specifics about what he would do differently than Del Rio, and said the two didn’t have any disagreements over scheme or personnel, just that Rivera would attempt to put his own stamp on the unit to try to get them going.
It’s the second big moment in terms of on-field decisions for new owner Josh Harris, who also signed off on trading Chase Young and Montez Sweat four weeks ago.
“I feel exactly how our fans feel today: disappointed and frustrated,” Harris said in a statement. “It’s how our players and staff feel as well. I knew our first season of ownership would include challenges along the way, and we will not shy away from hard work, nor will we be deterred by adversity.”
He added at the end: “Thank you to our fans for the ways in which you’ve breathed new life into our franchise. We have not been good enough this season, but our resolve for the future is unbroken.”
One domino effect of the move is that Rivera will now spend his practice and coaching time on the defensive side of the ball, leaving offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy the final five weeks to prove himself capable with young quarterback Sam Howell.
Washington’s offense also struggled in the loss, including a fourth-and-1 run where miscommunication led to a collision in the backfield.
“You’re going to take knocks early on; things don’t just automatically become easy,” Rivera said of Bieniemy, likening it to his own first year as a coordinator. “We’ve done some really good things offensively. But, you know, we’re working to get to the consistency portion of it. And I know that’s one thing that EB always talks about.”
With a record of 4-8, Washington could technically still win out and have an outside shot at sneaking into the playoffs over the final five games. In reality, they are playing out the string of a lost season, one that will almost certainly conclude with major changes across the board.
Rivera was asked last week what he appreciated about playing on Thanksgiving Day. He cited the downtime that would come on the other side.
“It’ll be a couple extra days to relax a little bit,” he said.
When he returns, a rough final month awaits.
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