Tag: COMMANDERS
Commaners’ Rivera says team never had interest in Jackson
On Monday, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson announced on Twitter that he had requested a trade. Recently, the Ravens slapped the Non-Exclusive Franchise tag on Jackson, which allows the former MVP to negotiate with other teams.
One team that is not interested in Jackson is the Washington Commanders. On Tuesday, Commanders head coach Ron Rivera was asked if the team was interested in Jackson. According to Rivera, they were not.
“No, we never did,” Rivera said at the 2023 NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix. “Honestly, we never did. It is just something that we just didn’t feel suited what we wanted to do. I know he’s a tremendous talent and a player that can impact your team. I just didn’t think, and we sat down and talked about it, that it was the direction for us as a football team.”
Rivera explained why the Commanders decided not to look into acquiring Jackson.
“I mean, again, you look at what the impact on your roster building is,” he said. “What were the assets that we would have to use to get him? What would the financial impact be? These are the things that we have to think about separate from anyone else. This is why we did what we’re doing. We were able to keep the defensive line guys that we have in place. We have a couple of other guys we have to think about on the defensive side, three guys that we feel are part of the core that we are trying to put together.
“We want to build up the offensive line. We have some dynamic playmakers. We are in a position now if you want to do something different; it may impact those dynamic playmakers, that front that you’re trying to build. We are roster building for the first time and feel really good about doing the things that we are trying to do right now.”
Rivera and the Commanders are confident that 2022 fifth-round pick QB Sam Howell or veteran Jacoby Brissett can get the job done in 2023. We’ll see if that was the right choice going forward.
NFL announces 2023 opponents for each team
The 2022 NFL regular season came to a close on Sunday. Some teams will look to the playoffs, while most teams head to the offseason and look to next season.
The league announced the opponents for all 32 teams for the 2023 season on Monday.
Below are the 2023 scheduling rotation and team-by-team opponents:
2023 SCHEDULING ROTATION BY DIVISION
AFCEAST |
Intraconference |
AFC WEST |
Interconference |
NFC EAST | |
17th game |
NFC SOUTH | |
AFCNORTH |
Intraconference |
AFC SOUTH |
Interconference |
NFC WEST | |
17th game |
NFC NORTH | |
AFCSOUTH |
Intraconference |
AFC NORTH |
Interconference |
NFC SOUTH | |
17th game |
NFC WEST | |
AFCWEST |
Intraconference |
AFC EAST |
Interconference |
NFC NORTH | |
17th game |
NFC EAST | |
NFCEAST |
Intraconference |
NFC WEST |
Interconference |
AFC EAST | |
17th game |
AFC WEST | |
NFCNORTH |
Intraconference |
NFC SOUTH |
Interconference |
AFC WEST | |
17th game |
AFC NORTH | |
NFCSOUTH |
Intraconference |
NFC NORTH |
Interconference |
AFC SOUTH | |
17th game |
AFC EAST | |
NFCWEST |
Intraconference |
NFC EAST |
Interconference |
AFC NORTH | |
17th game |
AFC SOUTH |
2023 OPPONENTS
AFC EAST
Buffalo Bills
Home: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Away: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders
Miami Dolphins
Home: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans
Away: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commander
New England Patriots
Home: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders
Away: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers
New York Jets
Home: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders
Away: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants
2023 OPPONENTS
AFC NORTH
Cincinnati Bengals
Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks
Away: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans
Baltimore Ravens
Home: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks
Away: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans
Pittsburgh Steelers
Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans
Away: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks
Cleveland Browns
Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans
Away: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks
2023 OPPONENTS
AFC SOUTH
Jacksonville Jaguars
Home: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers
Away: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Home: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle Seahawks
Away: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Indianapolis Colts
Home: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Away: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots
Houston Texans
Home: Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Away: Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets
2023 OPPONENTS
AFC WEST
Kansas City Chiefs
Home: Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles
Away: Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Jets
Los Angeles Chargers
Home: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins
Away: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans
Las Vegas Raiders
Home: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Giants, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers
Away: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins
Denver Broncos
Home: Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Washington Commanders
Away: Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins
NFC EAST
Philadelphia Eagles
Home: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Commanders, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers
Away: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Commanders, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Dallas Cowboys
Home: New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks
Away: New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers
New York Giants
Home: Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks
Away: Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers
Washington Commanders
Home: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers
Away: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks
NFC North
Home: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Away: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles
Detroit Lions
Home: Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle Seahawks
Away: Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Green Bay Packers
Home: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Away: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers
Chicago Bears
Home: Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders
Away: Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders
NFC SOUTH
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Home: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles, Tennessee Titans
Away: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers
Carolina Panthers
Home: Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings
Away: Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans
New Orleans Saints
Home: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans
Away: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriot
Atlanta Falcons
Home: Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Commanders
Away: Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans
NFC WEST
San Francisco 49ers
Home: Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Away: Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Commanders
Seattle Seahawks
Home: Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Commanders
Away: Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans
Los Angeles Rams
Home: Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Commanders
Away: Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants
Arizona Cardinals
Home: Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants
Away: Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Commanders
Jefferson, White, Slye win NFC players of the Week
Minnesota Vikings wide receive Justin Jefferson, Buccaneers linebacker Devin White, and Commanders kicker Joey Slye were named NFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for games played in Week 10, the league announced Wednesday.
Offense: WR Justin Jefferson:
Jefferson recorded 10 receptions for a career-high 193 receiving yards and a touchdown in Minnesota’s thrilling overtime victory over Buffalo. It marked the most receiving yards by any player in the league in Week 10 and included a key, 32-yard acrobatic reception on fourth-and-18 with two minutes remaining in regulation.
This is the second-career Offensive Player of the Week award for Jefferson, also earning the honor in Week 11 of the 2021 season. He joins Pro Football Hall of Famers Cris Carter and Randy Moss as the only Vikings wide receivers to win the award multiple times.
Defense: LB Devin White:
White totaled nine tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in Tampa Bay’s victory over Seattle in the first-ever NFL regular-season game in Germany. He was the only player in the NFC to record two sacks and a forced fumble in Week 10.
This is the third-career Defensive Player of the Week for White and first this season:
He becomes the third Tampa Bay linebacker to earn the honor at least three times, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks (six-time winner) and Hardy Nickerson (three-time winner).
Special Teams: K Joey Slye:
Slye converted all four of his field goal attempts in Washington’s upset victory over Philadelphia on Monday Night Football, connecting from 32, 44, 55 and a career-long 58 yards. He also converted both of his extra point attempts to account for 14 points, the most of any kicker in Week 10. Slye was also the only kicker to convert on multiple field goals from over 50 yards this week.
This is Slye’s second-career Special Teams Player of the Week award, also earning the honor as a rookie in Week 4 of the 2019 season with Carolina. He is the first Washington kicker to win since Dustin Hopkins (Week 13, 2020).
Wentz on time with Eagles: ‘I’ll definitely cherish my time there’
This Sunday, Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz will battle the team that drafted him with the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the team where he had the most success, the Philadelphia Eagles, in the first of two matchups between the two teams.
The first matchup will take place at FedExField as Wentz, and the Commanders(1-1) will battle the Eagles(2-0) for the time since he was traded to the Colts by the team after the 2020 season.
It’s a divisional game, so winning is important, but what might be bigger for Wentz is the opportunity to show Philadelphia he can still get it done; he did acknowledge on Tuesday that he’s excited about the game.
“Yeah, exciting. It’s an exciting time,” he told the media. “Obviously, a division rivalry, you know, been a part of this one for a while. Things look different this year, but it’ll be fun. It’ll be fun. Obviously, it looks a little bit different over there from when I was there. New faces, new coaches, new everything, but it’ll be a fun one.”
During his time with the Eagles, Wentz received a lot of love from the Philly faithful, especially in 2017, where he had his best season as a pro and helped lead the team to the best record in the NFL before tearing his ACL late in the season. Ultimately, the Eagles would win the Super Bowl with Nick Foles at quarterback,
Wentz battled injuries in 2018, and ultimately, Foles would again lead the Eagles to the playoffs. However, in 2019, Wentz would get paid as he signed a four-year, $128 million extension with the team and would lead Philadelphia to the postseason, but he would leave the team’s playoff loss to the Seahawks with a concussion.
Unfortunately, 2020 was Wentz’s worst year as a pro, where he led the league in interceptions in only 12 games, and he would lose his job late in the season to Jalen Hurts.
After five seasons, Wentz’s time with the Eagles had to come to an end.
Wentz discussed his time in Philadelphia.
“I mean this league, my career has been a whirlwind,” he said. “I’ll tell you that much. A lot of really good memories from my time there. I’m not going to lie—a lot of great friends. A lot of great relationships that I made, you know. Definitely will have some mixed emotions in terms of those things, but nothing crazy jumps out other than my time there was a whirlwind. It was wild. The NFL is a whirlwind, but I’m grateful to still be playing, and I’m excited for this one…
“It was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun. Obviously, we had a lot of success there. Winning the Super Bowl up there was pretty special. Being a part of that was pretty cool. It’s quite the city, quite the fan base, quite the experience. I’ll definitely cherish my time there, but obviously, being on the other end now, it’ll look a little different. It was a fun couple years there while I was up there. I definitely cherished my time there.”
Things did not end the way he wanted them to in Philadelphia, but according to the seven-year veteran, he grew as a person.
“I mean, I think anytime in life you get thrown a curve ball like that, things change anytime you think, you know what life’s going to look like,” he said. “You know, sometimes I always think God’s up there saying I’m in control, and for me as a man of faith, I think that’s where my faith kicks in and just saying, okay, God, what do you have next for me? I definitely cherished my time that I had up there. It was definitely a wild ride in many, many ways. I grew a lot as a man, you know, got married, had a child, a lot of things. So, I’m very grateful for my time there, but it definitely does catch you off guard things change, and you gotta learn to grow up and change and adapt. At the end of the day, I’m thankful for it. I’m thankful for the changes that life has brought, and I’ve grown a lot from it.”
Wentz is off to a decent start for the Commanders, and there’s probably nothing more he would want but to defeat Philadelphia on Sunday. It won’t be easy.
Commanders’ Rivera on firing of Mills III: ‘Just a difference in philosophy’
The Washington Commanders fired defensive line coach Sam Mills III, head coach Ron Rivera announced on Tuesday.
Assistant defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina will take over the position.
“I made a change on the coaching staff. I relieved Sam Mills III of his duties,” Rivera said. “Just a difference in philosophy for the most part, and we’ll go from there…
“Just some observations, and to me, it was I just felt it was a change that I needed to make, feeling there was a little bit of difference in the philosophy.”
When asked what the differences in philosophy were, Rivera said, “I’m going to keep that to myself.”
Mills is the son of Hall of Famer Sam Mills Jr., who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last Saturday in Canton, Ohio. He has been with the Commanders since 2020. Mills held a few coaching positions with the Panthers since 2005 and was with Rivera when he became the team’s head coach in 2011.
The 44-year-old was named defensive line coach in Carolina in 2018 and held the job until Rivera was fired in 2019.
