ASHBURN, Virginia – Washington Football Team coach Ron Rivera has a short message for anyone who is upset that Philadelphia eliminated quarterback Jalen Hurts in the fourth period of a game played: Difficult.
While some said the move helped Washington beat the Eagles 20-14 on Sunday night to win the NFC East and prevent the New York Giants from winning the division, Rivera said he did not want to hear such a conversation.
“You play who’s out there,” he said. “I’m not apologizing for winning.”
Washington won the division with a 7-9 record, finishing a game ahead of the Giants. The Eagles, already playing without 10 starters for a variety of reasons, eliminated the Hurts to face the rarely used Nate Sudfeld, with Washington 17-17 ahead.
After the game, Eagles coach Doug Pederson said, “That was my exclusive decision. Nate has been here for four years and I thought he deserved an opportunity to get some pops out. If there’s anything out there that he thinks I wasn’t trying to win the games … [Zach] Ertz is outside, Brandon Graham is there, Darius Slay is there. All of our best guys are still on the pitch at the end. “
The change led others to criticize Pederson. But Rivera doesn’t want Pederson’s decision to undermine what Washington has accomplished, needing to win five of the last seven games to win the title.
“No one complained when Pittsburgh did what it did against Cleveland,” said Rivera, referring to the Steelers’ decision to rest the starters, including Ben Roethlisberger, in a game that had playoff implications for the rest. “It’s been a tough road for us and nobody seems to care about that. Nobody cared two weeks ago when we didn’t have some of our best players. Nobody cared last week when we didn’t have them, so why should we? Worried if one coach decide to do something that is best for his team? “
Washington quarterback Alex Smith had to lose two games due to a sprain in his right calf, leading to consecutive defeats. Rivera defeated Dwayne Haskins against Carolina in Week 16, turning to Taylor Heinicke, who played for the last time in 2018 and was out of the league until Washington signed him on December 8. Receiver Terry McLaurin missed the Panthers game with a sprained ankle. Rivera endured seven weeks of cancer treatments during the season, leaving him fatigued and often needing to leave the establishment several hours earlier than normal.
On Sunday, Hurts was not playing a good ball-throwing game. He completed just 7 of 20 passes for 72 yards. He made 2 of 8 in the third quarter for 8 yards. Hurts ran 34 yards and two touchdowns.
Sudfeld completed 5 of 12 passes for 32 yards and was fired twice. A fumble led to a Washington field goal.
The mobility of the wound allowed him to escape from bad situations, often leading to waste. He was fired once. But he was intercepted, also leading to a field goal.
“Many people are happy with [the move] , many people are not happy about it and it’s just difficult, “said Rivera.” So many things that have happened in this world are difficult, that are difficult. This is just a game we are playing, and we play it as it reaches us. And I will not apologize.
“You are sorry for losing in the playoffs, but you are not sorry for entering.”
After the game, Washington’s defensive side, Montez Sweat, said “no comment” when first asked about the change. He later explained the obvious differences between the two passersby.
“It’s definitely a difference when a quarterback with less mobility comes into the game,” said Sweat. “A quarterback with legs is more dynamic and more difficult to run. Jalen is a dynamic guy, but we think we would have finished the job with anyone.”