Washington would be foolish to try and win

[Cmac]

They are 4/12. Losing could give them top 3 pick. Win and they could go to 7th? If I’m coaching them I’m resting starters and ensuring a loss. Issue might be that coach is gonna be fired and he has nothing to lose.

.....this make no sense at all.

 

[Flamma]

They are 4/12. Losing could give them top 3 pick. Win and they could go to 7th? If I’m coaching them I’m resting starters and ensuring a loss. Issue might be that coach is gonna be fired and he has nothing to lose.

Not going to happen. Just like the cardinals, they are going all out to beat the Cowboys.

 

[Adiba1977]

.....this make no sense at all.

Makes ton of sense. If I’m them I need that 2nd pick. Winning this game and I don’t get it. Foolish management. If y’all saying players play to win then I’m benching all my good /decent players if I’m the owner. 2nd pick vs 5/6/7 is huge!!!!

 

[Polkton31]

If I'm ownership, I would already know I'm bringing in a new coach, and I would want to present any prospective coach with the best scenario possible. What better incentive than the 2nd pick in the draft? I'm telling Rivera to start Fromm and pull any standout player who is staying with the team next year. No sense in risking a serious injury that would make them unavailable at the start of the season in a meaningless game. And, for those saying players are playing for their career / next contract, if they haven't done enough during to season to ensure a good outcome in those areas, one game isn't going to make a damn bit of difference. Just my opinion.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Winning a meaningless game at the end isn't going to make or break virtually anyone on that roster. Their coach will be fired by Monday. The players aren't going to have some sort of dance party at midfield after finishing with 5 wins. The ownership and GM structure is going to look at a loss of substantial draft points dropping down 3+ spots in the first. They need a QB like nobody's business and the best bet is to stay at 2 or even consider a trade up to 1 if Chicago puts the pick on the market. They need to re-energize a fan base that has been eaten alive for 20 years by a cancerous owner.

Basically, if Mike can't pull this one out, he should be fired in the locker room. If Howie Roseman was on the other sideline in Washington's shoes, he'd order that the starting QB be pulled for some scrub to ensure the loss.

Their players aren't going to tank. That would jeopardize their roster spots with whoever the next coach is. Plus, if you have a lousy season, it at least ends the season on a hopeful note if you end with a win. I agree, however, that Rivera will probably be fired. The whole "tank for a better draft spot" is a fan thing, not a player thing.

 

[Eddie]

This is a joke. No one is willing to risk their careers for someone else's draft spot. Rivera is coaching for his next job. An impressive display and a win against Dallas would put him in a good position to land another job ... probably not HC, but at least on someone's coaching staff. If he bombs this game, teams will think twice about bringing him aboard.

The Skins will NOT tank. That's a loser's mentality.

 

[Bobhaze]

They are 4/12. Losing could give them top 3 pick. Win and they could go to 7th? If I’m coaching them I’m resting starters and ensuring a loss. Issue might be that coach is gonna be fired and he has nothing to lose.

I expect to see “Ron Rivera’s Last Stand” with an all out effort for 60 minutes. Complete with trick plays, fake punts, etc. The Cowboys must prepare for this game as if were the first playoff game of the year. I will be very surprised if Wash isn’t going all out to win.

 

[Cmac]

Makes ton of sense. If I’m them I need that 2nd pick. Winning this game and I don’t get it. Foolish management. If y’all saying players play to win then I’m benching all my good /decent players if I’m the owner. 2nd pick vs 5/6/7 is huge!!!!

.....then the Front Office should suit up on Sunday. No NFL player is going to tank.......and if they do........don't need them on the team for future games or open a point-shaving investigation. But I understand your logic.....the same logic that nailed the coffin for Lovie Smith (Texans).

 

[nightrain]

The Commanders players and coaches would love nothing more than to come out Sunday, punch the Cowboys in the mouth and send them to the #5 seed. It's comical how detached fans are from reality with regard to "tanking" in football. The guys in the locker room don't care what the suits in the suites think. If the players have checked out and their lockers are cleaned out already, that is a different story, but my guess is it is on for this game...just like last year.

 

[ghst187]

Their HC is possibly coaching for his job. Beating Dallas in Washington would be a huge feather in his cap. Losing to the Cowboys might seal his fate.

Dude, Rivera is 100% done in Washington. He knows it, everyone knows it. At best, Rivera is coaching for an assistant job somewhere else next season. But I don’t think it will matter much either way. The crowd will make it feel like a home game for Dallas as the Wash fans quit weeks ago.
OP is spot on, they would be ridiculously idiotic to try to win this game. Entire franchise fortunes are altered based on things like this and the difference between the 7th pick and 2nd pick.
The players won’t care and will try hard but I’d expect the coaches to play a lot of backups and get them some tape to evaluate going into next season.

 

[Eddie]

I wonder if I can get cheap tix. Gonna look into it.

 

[Carson]

This is a joke. No one is willing to risk their careers for someone else's draft spot. Rivera is coaching for his next job. An impressive display and a win against Dallas would put him in a good position to land another job ... probably not HC, but at least on someone's coaching staff. If he bombs this game, teams will think twice about bringing him aboard.

The Skins will NOT tank. That's a loser's mentality.

I agree. Bitter rival, at home.

But man, if you can lock up the 2 seed, get your franchise QB in Drake Maye or slide down to 7 and lose out on your QB or franchise LT.

Just is not worth it

 

[aikemirv]

Players are playing for their careers. Beating Dallas would be huge for them.

Their HC is possibly coaching for his job. Beating Dallas in Washington would be a huge feather in his cap. Losing to the Cowboys might seal his fate.

Their fates are already sealed. Beating Dallas does nothing for any of them. Rivera is gone and the players will not be judged one biyt on this game going forward. That would be silly on the part of a GM to base anything on this game!

 

[atlantacowboy]

They are 4/12. Losing could give them top 3 pick. Win and they could go to 7th? If I’m coaching them I’m resting starters and ensuring a loss. Issue might be that coach is gonna be fired and he has nothing to lose.

The players don’t care about draft picks. They are all auditioning for jobs. Expect them to bring it. This is their Super Bowl.

 

[FoxF]

If I am the owner, I have having a conversation with my coach and we are going to get an elite player in the draft.

 

[Eddie]

If I am the owner, I have having a conversation with my coach and we are going to get an elite player in the draft.

If I'm the outgoing coach, and the owner had that convo with me, I would make sure it was recorded.

 

[Silverz1972]

We are their superbowl.

 

[Kingofholland]

They are 4/12. Losing could give them top 3 pick. Win and they could go to 7th? If I’m coaching them I’m resting starters and ensuring a loss. Issue might be that coach is gonna be fired and he has nothing to lose.

There's probably certain players with secure futures that have no reason to give maximum effort and won't, while others are playing for new contracts. There's also guys that just love the game and will always work hard.

I wouldn't expect any NFL team to ever lay down.

 

[TwoCentPlain]

1988 - Dallas and GB were both 3-12 going into the last game. GB held the tiebreaker over Dallas for the #1 pick in the 1989 draft. GB was playing in the road at the Cards and it was a foregone conclusion GB would lose, thereby, winning the Troy Aikman sweepstake. But that did the unthinkable and beat the Cards. Dallas stayed true to form and lost to the Eagles.

Moral - don’t ever take anything for granted in the NFL.

And the Cowboys got Aikman and the Packers got Mandrich. Which was the better business decision for the players and the team?

Yes, don’t take anything for granted, but Washington players (those planning to be there next year) would be idiots to try to win on Sunday.

 

[lkelly]

Players entering free agency will want to avoid injury. Players with fat contracts have some beach rentals scheduled for next week. Players know that the staff is gone and the new owners plan on cleaning house. The instances like the Texans beating a 4 win Indy team last year (with Sam Ehlinger at QB) are not exactly comparable to a 4 win Washington team playing an 11 win Dallas team with playoff seeding on the line. Dallas opened as a 13.5 point favorite. If you believe that the ghosts of Joe Gibbs, John Roggins, Art Monk, and Darrell Green (all of whom are actually alive I believe, but just disinterested in the franchise these days) are going to sit alongside the 20K or so Washington fans who feel obligated to get some value out of their wasted PSL expenses in this tough economy, then there’s easy money to be made betting on them to cover.

Personally I believe in the “it’s their last day of work this season and they are eyeing the clock” vs. “it’s their Super Bowl and they will be playing through a torn ACL to bring home the win.”

If Mike can’t squeeze a win out of week 18, he’s probably done.