The Commanders earned a surprising 32-21 victory over the Eagles on "Monday Night Football" in Week 10 to bring their division rival's undefeated run to an end.
It proved to be an emotional win for the team, and for head coach Ron Rivera in particular.
Rivera's mother, Dolores Rivera-Munoz, died of lung cancer on Oct. 31 at the age of 82. The win was Washington's first since her passing, and Rivera let his emotions shine through in the Commanders' locker room as he attempted to give a postgame speech.
"My mother would be proud," Rivera said, as his eyes welled up with tears.
Meaningful win 💛@MDLottery | #HTTC pic.twitter.com/w2zuxWH5Hd
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) November 15, 2022
Rivera-Munoz was described by her son as a big football fan and one of his most important mentors. Rivera had previously said his mother had a "toughness" about her and explained that she helped coach him up during his youth while his father, Eugenio, served in the Vietnam War.
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Thus, it's easy to understand why earning a victory of this nature was so important for Rivera. Star wide receiver and team captain Terry McLaurin pointed that out when he took over the postgame speech from a choked-up Rivera.
You can see how much that means to him. It means a lot to everyone in this locker room. We set the f—ing tone. We took it to them. We don't have to take s— from nobody.
Not only was the win important on a personal level for Rivera, but it also was a massive one for the Commanders. It moved the team to 5-5 on the season and just half a game out of a wild-card spot in the NFC playoff race.
Washington is now 3-1 since Taylor Heinicke took over as starting quarterback and the team will have a chance to make a playoff push despite playing in one of two NFL divisions in which no teams have a losing record.
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Still, McLaurin knows that the Commanders have to stay focused and keep working hard as they prepare to face the Texans in Week 11.
"If we don't stay humble — we got a lot of things to fix," McLaurin said. "We're gonna go on the road again and try to get this dub."
