Ron Rivera wanted to win Sunday’s game against the winless New York Giants at all cost. Thus he rolled the dice after a Kyle Allen touchdown pass with 36 seconds remaining, opting to go for two trailing the New York Giants 20-19 instead of tying the game with an extra point.
Unfortunately, the Giants made the stop as a desperation pass flailed to the ground.
Following the game, Rivera explained “the only way to learn to win is to play to win.”
The failed two-point conversion came after Allen found wide receiver Cam Sims on a beautifully thrown touchdown pass. Allen was looking to redeem himself after losing a fumble that was returned for a touchdown by the Giants defense for the go-ahead score.
His gamble didn’t go the way he preferred. But he is sticking with his decision to play to win.
“I’m playing to win,” Rivera declared according to Ben Standig of the Athletic. “I’m trying to get our players to understand this is how we’re going to do things. We’re going to play to win football games. It’s going to bug me because we lost. It’s going to piss me off. I want to win football games.”
Rivera added he didn’t care this is his first year in Washington and that they’re playing young guys. Going back to the benching of quarterback Dwayne Haskins a week ago, Rivera has stressed he was looking for “short-term glory” with the NFC East being within reach.
However, the fact of the matter is Washington has now lost five straight, falling to 1-5 on the season, dropping to last place in the woeful NFC East, as the Giants improved to 1-5. The Giants now hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. Thus, putting Rivera’s thinking for the season at a crossroads.
