NFL Rumors: Commanders' Ron Rivera Still Won't Be Fired in Season After Dolphins Loss

The Washington Commanders are expected to stick with their plan to keep head coach Ron Rivera through the end of the NFL season despite Sunday's 45-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins, according to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio.

"The belief is that he has done enough to deserve to finish the year and have a full evaluation," Florio reported.

The Commanders are 4-9 after Week 13 and all but guaranteed to miss the playoffs for the third straight season. Rivera is also 26-36-1 since Washington hired him ahead of the 2020 season.

Especially since the 61-year-old is working for an ownership group that didn't bring him aboard in the first place, all signs point to a coaching change.

In November, CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones reported that "it is widely assumed that [Rivera] will not be retained as head coach and the ostensible chief of football for the Commanders after the 17th game of the year."

Jones explained how principal owner Josh Harris was incentivized to wait because he "presents himself as a benevolent owner who's willing to fairly evaluate everything without making rash decisions."

It's too late in the game for a new head coach to change the trajectory of Washington's season. Even if the Commanders can reel off two straight wins coming out of their Week 14 bye, they close out the year against the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys.

Maybe Rivera grows tired of basically being a lame duck and resigns. Absent that, there's little too gain for Harris by sending him packing.