Washington Commanders: The Riverboat has sprung a huge leak

After a 2-0 start against weak teams, the Washington Commanders have lost three in a row and look to be on a riverboat that is slowly beginning to sink underwater. Changes need to be made in Washington. The franchise that has been irrelevant for years had a great chance to get to 3-2 and position themselves nicely for the beginning of the second quarter of the season.

However, a continued collapse on defense has primarily contributed to the team losing three in a row after starting 2-0. It's true that the first couple weeks of any NFL season are usually pretty misleading. The Commanders starting 2-0 probably had some people believing, but now I think some are hopping off the riverboat that is now beginning to sink.

Ron Rivera, who I believe to be a massively overrated head coach, clearly needs to make some changes, perhaps starting with his defensive coordinator, Jack Del Rio. The Commanders have the 31st-ranked scoring defense in the NFL through four games. They are allowing their opponents to score 32 points per game.

Offensively, they only average 21.8 points per game, so really, neither side of the ball is working out for them. Rivera is now on pace to have yet another losing season as a head coach. If the Commanders cannot finish with at least nine wins, Rivera will not have had a winning record since 2017 with the Carolina Panthers. His career record in the regular season is now 100-93-2, and I don't think he survives into 2024 if his team keeps playing this way.

Eric Bieniemy felt like a move that created an easy-out for the franchise to move on from Rivera. Bieniemy has been seen as a head coach in waiting for years by many in NFL circles, and I think he'll eventually be given a shot with the Commanders in 2023.

Where do they go from here? Well, their next three games are against the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, and Philadelphia Eagles. Winning two of three puts them at 4-4, so they'd still be in the mix. However, with the way the defense is playing, it might be hard to envision them winning two of the next three.

I think big changes are on the way in Washington.