Rivera says Harbaugh's 4th-down decision shows trust in his team originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
With his team off on Sunday following a Thursday Night Football victory, Washington head coach Ron Rivera was among the many that tuned in for Sunday night's game between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs.
Rivera, who earned the nickname 'Riverboat Ron' during his time in Carolina for his willingness to take risks, loved the decision from Ravens coach John Harbaugh to go for it on a crucial fourth down inside their own territory.
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"To me, if you think the only way to win it, or you believe the only way to win it is keep[ing] them off the field, then you got to go for it," Rivera said in an exclusive 1-on-1 with NBC Sports Washington's JP Finlay. "You absolutely do."
Before the conversion, NBC cameras captured Harbaugh asking Jackson if he wanted to go for it on fourth-and-1. Jackson, naturally, said yes, then converted on the play. The rest is history, as Baltimore was able to win his first career game over Kansas City.
For Rivera, seeing that interaction between Harbaugh and Jackson showed the Washington head coach that Harbaugh has plenty of trust in his players.
"If you really trust your team, you go for it," Rivera said. "Watching what Coach Harbaugh did, he had a really good feel for his guys."
While Rivera said he doesn't always watch football on Sundays when his team isn't playing, he was plenty entertained by Sunday night's game.
"It was a track meet. A very typical game of the way Baltimore plays, very physical. A typical game that Kansas City plays and that's wide open. It was an entertaining game. It really was," Rivera said.
