The search for Ron Rivera’s successor began shortly after kickoff for some Commanders fans.

The Washington Commanders finished the first quarter of their game against the New York Jets in a 17-0 hole. That pathetic display was enough for some Commanders fans to renew the call for head coach Ron Rivera to lose his job.

It’s been a horrendous start for Washington on the road against a Jets team that is 5-9 and lost six of its last seven games. On five possessions, the Commanders punted three times. And those were the successful drives, by comparison.

One drive ended on a blocked punt that gifted the Jets a short field and a touchdown. The other drive for Washington ended with a Sam Howell interception that turned into three points for the offensively-challenged Jets.

For one fan on X (formerly Twitter), Rivera’s fate was no longer in question. It was simply a matter of timing.

“Does Ron Rivera get fired on Christmas or do they wait until Tuesday???”

Another observer compared Rivera to former Buffalo Bills cornerback Vontae Davis. Davis infamously retired at halftime of a Bills game in 2018.

Ron Rivera at halftime pic.twitter.com/wVhZuuApuh

— Jackson Didlake (@diidlake) December 24, 2023

One NFL-focused account laid out just how inept many Commanders fans view Rivera. “Ron Rivera fires Jack del Rio to assume control of the defense, and 5 minutes into a game against the New York Jets with Trevor Siemian at QB, his team is down 17-0.”

When TV cameras captured a shot of Rivera looking a bit surprised that his team was getting its clock cleaned by, again, the New York Jets, one user saw an obituary, stating “[j]ust a look of utter bewilderment. The Ron Rivera tenure in one photo.”

Finally, perhaps someone just wanted better for Rivera when he said that the coach “might as well book that new year’s trip to Cancun.”