The Washington Football Team is now 1-2 after a 43-21 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Struggles of both the offense and defense are glaring. And truth be told they’re a Dexter Lawrence offside away from having a 0-3 record.
As the team prepares for a trip to the Atlanta Falcons, there should be some sense of urgency. Especially, with a tough slate of games that follow. It’s understanding if this upcoming game against the Falcons is considered a must-win.
However, Washington head coach Ron Rivera doesn’t see it that way.
“No, I don’t [think it’s must-win]. There’s plenty of football games left to play,” Rivera said on Sports Junkies on Tuesday morning.
A loss would put Washington in a deep 1-3 hole. The Falcons may be their easiest game on the remainder of their schedule. After Atlanta, Washington has the Saints, Chiefs, Packers, Broncos and the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers in the following weeks.
Throw in trips to the surprising Panthers, who are 3-0 entering Week 4, the Seahawks, and the undefeated Raiders before finishing the season with five straight NFC East games. Washington has the second-toughest remaining schedule in the NFL.
Still, Rivera wants to keep the focus on one game at time.
“After this week, there’s still 13 games,” Rivera continued. “And then as far as I’m concerned, it’s just one at a time. It’s one at a time, when you start focusing and worrying about what you have to do, what you got to do, what you must do, you have a lot of stress on yourself.”
Rivera’s approach isn’t necessarily wrong. They cannot look ahead. However, not classifying Sunday’s game a must-win could lead to more issues.
A loss to Atlanta would put Washington at a 1-3 record. With the schedule that follows, the wheels could fly off the rails very quickly for Rivera and his team.
