Washington Redskins: Dwayne Haskins struggles in debut
Dwayne Haskins replaced Case Keenum for the Washington Redskins in Week 4 and looked every bit like a rookie making his first NFL appearance.
The Dwayne Haskins era got off to an inauspicious start on Sunday as the Washington Redskins dropped to 0-4 with defeat to the New York Giants.
Haskins came in for Case Keenum during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium with the Redskins trailing 14-0 but, in a game that turned into a battle of rookie quarterbacks between him and Daniel Jones, the former Ohio State Buckeye could not inspire a turnaround.
Instead, the Redskins slumped to a 24-3 loss that effectively ends any hope Washington had of competing in the NFC East in 2019.
Haskins led the Redskins to their only points of a chastening afternoon but endured a tough start to his pro career, completing nine of his 17 passes for 107 yards and three interceptions.
The Redskins played it safe with Haskins, who did not attempt to threaten the Giants with downfield shots, but the first-round pick still struggled to take care of the football, tossing a pick-six as a backfoot throw was undercut by Jabrill Peppers.
https://twitter.com/Giants/status/1178386096603815936?s=20
Wayward with a third-down pass to tight end Vernon Davis on Washington’s red-zone possession that yielded only a field goal, Redskins fans are unlikely to have seen much in Haskins’ performance to take positives from.
The game did not appear too big for him and Haskins also showed an ability to make plays with his legs, but Washington will hope for much more going forward from the 15th overall pick.
Redskins coach Jay Gruden did not commit to naming Haskins the starter for Week 5, per NBC Sports Washington, and the smart move may be to go back to Keenum for another game, in which their opponents will be the 4-0 New England Patriots.
On the back of his struggles against the Giants, throwing Haskins into the fray against the best defense in football is a risk that would net little reward.
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With the Miami Dolphins on the horizon in Week 6, the more astute play would be to wait until that encounter to hand Haskins the reins and see if he can start building some positive momentum in what is destined to be another lost Redskins season.