Ron Rivera: Year 3 is when the Commanders should…

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As he heads into his third season as head coach of the Washington Commanders, Ron Rivera says it’s fair to expect more from him and his team.

“The third season is when you take another step,” Rivera said, via ESPN. “This area is hungry for a winner. They want a winner and I want to win.”

Washington won the NFC East with a 7-9 record in 2020, but Rivera acknowledged that making the playoffs with a losing record wasn’t the goal. In 2021 Washington went 7-10 and finished third in the division.

“What happened my first year was an anomaly,” Rivera said. “I don’t get too caught up in that. My second year was kind of on par, maybe a step back, because even though I felt we were immature, I was hopeful we could get it straightened up and we could work it and go in the right direction.”

Rivera fully expects this to be his most successful season as Washington’s head coach.

“This is the year that says, ‘We’re going to ascend,’” Rivera said. “And we should be ascending.”