Ron Rivera did not have a winning season in his four seasons as Washington’s head coach.
However, Rivera did have a few really good wins. Actually, in coming up with a top five, I actually came up with eight.
The three honorable mention wins?
2020 Week 1 27-17 over Philadelphia at FedEx Field.
After trailing 17-0, Washington came back to win 27-17, and everyone was excited. However, Washington then lost their next five games.
2020 Week 17 20-14 over Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field
This is no better than honorable mention because it meant everything for Washington, and the Eagles were doing all they could not to win.
2020 Week 12 41-16 over Dallas on Thanksgiving at AT&T Stadium
Dak Prescott was injured and did not play, so only honorable mention.
Here are the top five wins for Ron Rivera during his four Washington seasons (2020-23)
5. Sept. 17, 2023: Washington 35, Denver 33
Trailing 21-3, Sam Howell led the offense back to a sterling 35-33 win, raising the Commanders record to 2-0 and the optimism of the DMV fan base.
4. Dec. 5, 2021: Washington 17, Las Vegas Raiders 15
Brian Johnson connected on a 48-yard field goal with 37 seconds remaining to put Washington ahead of Las Vegas 17-15. The road win was the fourth straight win for Washington and evened their record at 6-6, raising expectations that this team was on a playoff run.
3. Nov. 14, 2021: Washington 29, Tampa Bay 19
Washington (2-6) played their best home game during the Ron Rivera era. They never trailed, upsetting the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Bucs (6-2), 29-19.
2. Dec 7, 2020: Washington 23, Pittsburgh 17
Washington (4-7) trailed at the undefeated Steelers (11-0) 14-0, then Alex Smith and the defense dominated the rest of the way, winning 23-17.
1. Nov. 14, 2022 Washington 32, Philadelphia 21
Washington (4-5) went to the undefeated Eagles (8-0) for a MNF game and came away with their best-played game under Ron Rivera, a 32-21 upset as Washington held the ball for 40:24 to only 19:36 by the Eagles.
