After a 20-20 tie Sunday afternoon, the Washington Commanders (7-5-1) and New York Giants (7-4-1) will play again in two weeks with huge postseason Match meaning.
Given the high stakes of the NFC East game, the Week 15 game between Washington and New York has been rescheduled to sunday night football On Dec. 18, the NFL announced Monday that it will be available to viewers across the country.
Hours after the league’s announcement, Commanders head coach Ron Rivera was asked about his thoughts on playing Sunday night football. Rivera was candid about wanting to play the day before.
“I kind of wish we could get Saturday,” Rivera said.
The Commander Giants were one of five games the NFL initially didn’t schedule to play through Monday in Week 15. Three of those games (Colts-Vikings, Ravens-Browns and Dolphins-Bills) were moved to Saturday, December 17. But given the impact of the Commander-Giants, the league chose to move the game to Sunday night, the best weekly window for games.
There are many reasons behind Rivera’s desire. After the Giants game, the Commanders will travel across the country to San Francisco in just one week. Washington’s Week 16 game against the 49ers is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 24 (the NFL schedules most of its Week 16 games on Saturdays, with only three games scheduled for Christmas).
Now, with the Commander Giants game scheduled for Sunday night, Washington has a shorter week to prepare for the San Francisco game. The 49ers, on the other hand, have two full days to prepare for Washington, as San Francisco plays Thursday night in Week 15. Had the Commander Giants been pushed back to Saturday, Washington would have had a normal week of rest and rest to prepare for the Niners.
“It would be nice to get some rest,” Rivera said. “But you play when they let you play. We’ll line up and play with them and see what happens.”
The head coach is looking forward to the Commanders playing in front of a national audience again, even though Rivera made it clear he prefers Saturday’s game to Sunday night’s slanted game.
“I think the opportunity is great. I really think so,” Rivera said. “It’s the national stage. It’s the big stage. A third of the U.S. population lives on the East Coast, so we know they’re going to tune in.”
Washington is 2-0 in prime-time games this season, especially with the club’s thrilling away win over the previously undefeated Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10.
After Sunday’s game against the Giants, Commanders captain Jonathan Allen called on Commanders fans to get FedEx Field ready for the rematch next week.
“This game we’re going to have here in two weeks means double,” Allen said. “I need the Commander fans to really show. I’m going to give as many free tickets as possible. We need everyone to be there. This game could be season. We need full support and stadium rocking”
On Monday, Rivera echoed Allen’s thoughts.
“If turnout is high, that’s great,” Rivera said. “I think we’re moving in that direction. We’re moving in that direction.”
Another prime-time matchup gave the Commanders another game of national exposure, and Rivera injected some energy into his players.
“I’m really excited for our players. I’m really excited just because we’ve got some players that deserve exposure,” Rivera said. “It’s pretty much the stage we’ve been in since Monday night or Thursday night. It’s a great matchup for us. They play us on Sunday. So, it’s pretty cool. We’re pretty even. .It’s going to be a fun night. I’m really looking forward to it.”
