Ron Rivera fears Washington defense not learning from mistakes

The defense of the Washington Football Team was supposed to be a strength in 2021. However, through three games the defense is under fire after yet another disappointing showing.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw for 358 yards and four touchdowns. He also added a four-yard touchdown run to put the finishing touches on a 43-21 beat down of Washington.

Blown coverage in the passing game. Players out of position, beat on man-to-man coverage, and the Bills running through tackles were to blame for Washington’s shortcomings. Similar mistakes they made in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers and Week 2 against the New York Giants. 

Following the loss, Washington head coach Ron Rivera acknowledged the possibility the defense was making the same mistakes as the first two games.

“That’s my fear when I watch the tape, that I’m going to feel like we didn’t learn anything the last two weeks,” Rivera said per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.

Buffalo had 481 yards of total offense. Washington’s defense now ranks 31st in the NFL with 432 yards allowed per game. Only the Seattle Seahawks have allowed more yards. Washington is giving up 30.7 points per game, which is fourth-most allowed in the league. 

Last season the defense ranked second in yards allowed under first-year defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. Year 2 has not been nearly as good. If Rivera’s film review reveals similar mistakes in each game through three weeks, then something has to change for Washington to get back on track.