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After the Commanders fell to 1-4 with their 21-17 loss on Sunday to the Tennessee Titans, Washington head coach Ron Rivera was very clear about what he thinks the problem is: quarterback.
That was literally the one word response Rivera gave when asked “Why do you think the teams in the division are farther ahead at this point?”
Rivera did elaborate further, but it was obvious that, much like coaches in Philadelphia and Indianapolis, he isn’t exactly enamored with Carson Wentz.
“The truth is that this is a quarterback-driven league, and if you look at the teams that have been able to sustain success, they’ve been able to build it around a specific quarterback,” Rivera added.
Monday night, one quarterback who played for Ron Rivera, Alex Smith, expressed shock that the coach would be so blunt.
Alex Smith, who played for Ron Rivera, was stunned by the coach’s comment about Carson Wentz
“I had a really hard time watching that,” Smith said on Monday Night Countdown. “When I heard it, I couldn’t believe it. I’m not here to defend Carson Wentz. He’s had a tumultuous career and ups and downs. But this is a defensive head coach that’s absolutely driving the bus over his quarterback.”
Smith too elaborated, adding, “The blame has got to be spread around. This is a team sport. It is the ultimate team sport. How can a head coach stand up there in front of the media and utter one word, and it’s ‘quarterback’?”
Smith is certainly not wrong. Washington is averaging just 3.9 yards per rush (7th worst in the NFL). It’s defense is allowing 25.6 points per game (tied for sixth worst), and the Commanders rank second to last in turnover differential with just one interception and zero fumbles recovered.
However, when your quarterback has a lower QB rating than players like Geno Smith, Cooper Rush, Andy Dalton and Bailey Zappe (all of which have at least as many wins as Wentz), then yes, the quarterback position is certainly an issue.
Rivera later added that he has “no regrets” about trading for Carson Wentz, even if he reportedly wasn’t his first choice.