ASHBURN, Va. (WDVM) – Following the Washington Football Team’s dramatic comeback against the Las Vegas Raiders to win 17-15, the team’s mental, and emotional focus is as high as ever.
And it comes at the right time for the team. Washington, now 6-6 in the season, have five games left. All their games against their NFC East Division rivals, starting with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, December 12th.
“We’re at the part where we control it.” said Head Coach Ron Rivera speaking about the season , “I mean, for ourselves, for us, what’s gonna happen to, to the Washington Football Team is now you in our hands. We go out and play the way we’re capable of. We give ourselves a chance and that’s where we wanted to be. That’s one of the things we talked about when the schedule first came out, because you can get to this point and you have a chance. You have an opportunity now you’ve gotta make the best of it.”
Rivera did explain that Logan Thomas did not have a positive result for a torn ACL, but there are still more evaluations that need to happen. Logan’s injury adds to the growing list of players who have not been available for Washington on this four game win streak.
“Well, I think part of it has been the depth. We’ve been very fortunate.” Rivera said on Washington’s run of luck despite their injuries. “I think it’s also the way the players rally around each other. I think that’s also been very helpful, you know? I know you guys got the example a couple weeks ago, when [C] Keith Ismael had to go in and play, he talked about how the guys around him just helped pick him up. That’s important. And I think that’s, again, as I said, that that’s a credit to, you know, what our personnel department’s doing. It it’s credit to what the coaching has done. And then the players themselves.”
Coordinator Jack Del Rio’s defense then sealed it to give him the win in his first game against the Raiders since being fired by the team following the 2017 season. Against the Raiders, the defense sealed the win when Derek Carr’s desperation heave from his 43 fell incomplete, short of the goal line.
“I mean, we came into season thinking we could do something like this, and then unfortunately it hadn’t really came to light.” said Rivera, “Willing to change, willing to adapt and then having to, because the injury, I think does show his versatility as a coach.”