Heading into Sunday morning’s game between the Washington Football Team and Baltimore Ravens, the stakes were clear.
Nobody actually expected Washington to beat Baltimore, an objectively superior team, but second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins had received a clear mandate: play better or be benched.
“There are guys in that locker room that are playing well enough for us to win,” head coach Ron Rivera said last Monday of his starting quarterback.
“There is a cut-off point for me. There is.”
That sentiment was echoed early Sunday morning.
“Sources say Haskins enters a critical stretch for his own development and must improve greatly for him to keep the job,” NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported.
Why do bad things happen to good people. https://t.co/NRSKvX1j7f
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 3, 2020
“In fact, there is a chance if it goes particularly badly today, Haskins could be pulled at some point in favor of Kyle Allen, who was with Ron Rivera in Carolina.”
Haskins finished Sunday with 314 yards on 32 of 45 passing, no touchdowns or interceptions, and a QBR of 31.5. He also chipped in three yards and a rushing touchdown on the ground.
What does that stat line mean for his future as a starter? It is unclear.
Haskins was asked after the game whether he felt like he passed the test Rivera presented him with.
“I hope I passed,” he said.
Rivera had a reasonably blunt answer on how he viewed success and failure for Haskins.
“The ball’s got to go into the end zone or be put in position to be put in the end zone,” he said.
“It’s something he’s got to learn. If he’s going to be a starter in this league and contribute to the football games, he has to understand and develop. This is part of it. This is part of the growth.”
Some handled it better than others. https://t.co/xj0fF0SgOU
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 3, 2020
If that is the measuring stick, then Haskins definitely did not deliver.
On one hand, Haskins has handled the past week with admirable poise. After a disaster of a showing against the Cleveland Browns where he was picked off three times and fumbled the ball once, the 23-year-old did not turn the ball over at all against Baltimore.
On the other – not turning the ball over is only half the battle. You also have to be able to put points on the board.
After the game, Haskins’ agent David Mulugheta blasted his critics.
“Amazing this is the narrative coming out of DC,” he said.
“A young QB (10 starts total over 2 seasons) who is in a brand new system, with no off-season in said new system, a young OL, limited weapons on offense and only 3 games into the NFL season. Yet ‘he’ is the one that must play well.”
This should fix everything. https://t.co/avxAddqt70
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 4, 2020
Mulugheta isn’t wrong. Washington’s issues are deeper than just Haskins, but that doesn’t alleviate the quarterback from his responsibilities.
All in all, this will be a big week for all involved. Rivera will need to make a final decision on just how much patience he will have for Haskins, and then he has to stick with it – either way.
Will Haskins remain the Washington Football Team’s starting quarterback? Time will tell.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
