The Washington Football Team is facing some unique challenges in 2020. At least in 2020, they rose to them.
Coach Ron Rivera is battling a treatable form of lymph node cancer. He has been receiving treatment this week, and it required him to receive an IV at halftime of Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Washington was trailing 17-7 at the half. With Rivera being treated, quarterback Dwayne Haskins stepped in to try to fire up the team for the second half with a speech.
“Apparently Dwayne stepped up and it was a pretty raucous one from what I heard,” Rivera said, via JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington.
Cornerback Fabian Moreau said Haskins “got everybody riled up and put everyone on his back.”
This situation demonstrates the unusual circumstances the team is facing. There’s even a backup plan in place in the event that Rivera is physically unable to coach. For Haskins, it was an opportunity to grow as a leader and gain more respect from his teammates. He’s a second-year pro trying to prove himself in the NFL, and this can only help. As long as he has more days like he did Sunday, he’ll prove the oddsmakers wrong quite quickly.
