Ron Rivera 'Disappointed' By Washington Commanders' Defensive Struggles

The Washington Commanders defense has struggled through the first five games of the season.

While the inability to protect quarterback Sam Howell is concerning, the Washington Commanders offense has largely been productive outside of a 37-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 3. But despite having a very experienced defensive coaching staff and quite a bit of resources poured into that side of the ball, Washington has given up 31.4 points per game through their first five games this season. 

Coach Ron Rivera, a former linebacker and defensive coordinator himself, was asked Friday if he's surprised by the early struggles of Washington defensively. 

“Well, I'm a little disappointed, more so than I am surprised," Rivera said. "I just think that some of the things that we have to do is we have to play with a little bit more discipline. We're going to stop trying to do more than we need to and do our jobs. Probably the basic thing that goes to it, and as I said, we're taking a look at some of the things that we're doing with them. Are we truly putting them in the best position to make plays? That's the thing that we have to look at and go through the next day.”

D.J. Moore and the Chicago Bears torched the Washington Commanders secondary in Week 5.  / USA Today

Washington put forward an admirable effort in a 34-31 loss to the defending NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4, but were throttled 40-20 on Thursday Night Football by the previously undefeated Chicago Bears in Week 5. A week after Eagles wideout A.J. Brown feasted on Washington's secondary, Chicago receiver D.J. Moore had eight catches for a staggering 230 yards and three touchdowns against rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes and the Commanders. 

The Commanders may not be a finished product on defense, but they need to clean things up defensively in relatively short order if they hope to hang around in the NFC playoff picture. With a defensive line that features Montez Sweat, Chase Young, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, this should be one of the better defenses in the sport. Instead, they've been a doormat for opposing offenses, particularly during their current three-game losing streak. 

And if the performance doesn't improve, new owner Josh Harris will likely look towards Rivera and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, both of whom he inherited.