Several weeks ago Ron Rivera defended some of his decisions by saying he was making those calls because he believed his team was still in the hunt for a playoff spot.
He was criticized for some of those decisions by many in the media, including by this writer on this website.
After Week 14, the Washington Football Team now sits atop the NFC East. And more than that, they actually look like a playoff team. And a dangerous team at that after rookie Chase Young and the defense dominated in a 23-15 win over last year’s NFC champions, the San Francisco 49ers.
“You are now relevant. You earned that. You earned that! Do not let anybody take that away from you. You have earned it,” Rivera said during his postgame victory speech in the Washington locker room.
“For all the s--- we have put up (with), for everything that we have had to deal with, you have earned the right to be the first place team in the NFC East,” Rivera said. “That’s who you are.”
“So I’m gonna tell you right now,” he continued. “Act like it! Be professional, understand what it takes to be a professional, and do the professional thing.
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“And understand this, nobody, and I promise you, nobody wants to play us. I’m telling you that right now. You’re on a roll and you’re doing things the right way. Continue to work. Continue to work and do the things you need to do. And give yourself the opportunity to be very, very special.”
The hype video the team released before the game was entitled “Why not us?”
After Sunday’s win and a fourth-consecutive victory speech, he still believes this is the message his team needs to hear: Why not?
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