Should Washington Commanders Fire Coach Ron Rivera After Loss to Dallas Cowboys?

Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera's seat was already hot, and a 35-point loss on national television surely didn't help his cause.

The Washington Commanders (4-8) suffered a 45-10 blowout defeat to the Dallas Cowboys (8-3) on Thursday evening in a standalone Thanksgiving time slot.

It's the Commanders' third consecutive loss and fifth in their last six tries, marking the continuation of a spiraling season - and a nationally televised market with all eyes watching were witnesses of Washington's current dysfunction.

After trailing 20-10 at the end of the third quarter, the Commanders appeared to be in the mix - but the Cowboys put all doubt to rest with a dominating 25-0 fourth quarter.

Commanders Cooked by Cowboys in Thanksgiving Blowout

And so, the question now at the forefront of discussions about the Commanders - will coach Ron Rivera be fired?

There's no clear precedent to evaluate the likelihood of a midseason firing, as Washington is led by a new ownership group spearheaded by Josh Harris.

But NFL Media reported Thursday that "making a move during the season is not the team's desire," instead opting to analyze the situation once the year comes to an end.

However, NFL Media added it was unclear how a blowout loss would change things, and history shows such defeats in front of national audiences can lead to the altering of plans.

So, perhaps Rivera will be on the move sooner than the organization would've hoped - and as things stand, barring a late-season turnaround, he appears to be trending towards the exits upon year's end.

Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera hasn't finished the year with a record above .500 since going 11-5 with the Carolina Panthers in 2017 / Junfu Han-USA TODAY Sports

The 61-year-old Rivera holds a career record of 102-98-2, but his tenure in Washington hasn't been as pretty. Since arriving in 2020, Rivera's guided the Commanders to a 26-35-1 record while making the playoffs in his first year at the helm.

Washington has won seven, seven and eight games in Rivera's first three full seasons at coach and will have to win its final five games this year to best those marks.

Thus, with no progress being made and the Commanders' new ownership group likely wanting to handpick their head coach, there's lots working against Rivera.

And so, it may just be a matter of time until Washington's back in the coaching carousel, some four years removed from a similar situation.