Analysis: Can Haskins Keep WFT QB Job? Rivera Rules

LANDOVER, Md. - Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera made it clear at the end of his post-game press conference.

"Alex (Smith),'' he said, "is our starting quarterback right now."

That's assuming that Smith is healthy, which he clearly wasn't early and throughout the San Francisco win in Week 14 and why he was scratched leading up to a 20-15 loss here at FedExField in NFL Week 15 against the Seattle Seahawks.

That doesn't mean that temp starter Dwayne Haskins provided no hope or any optimism.

He did. Maybe in small doses, but he indeed did.

Haskins started off slow and finished fairly strong, outside of the final three plays - which certainly weren't all his fault.

However, it wasn't enough in Rivera to change his mind regarding who, if healthy, should be the QB for Rivera's personal reunion with his former employer the Carolina Panthers next Sunday.

Haskins, the 2019 first-round pick, was 38-of-55 for 295 yards with a touchdown pass and two interceptions, plus he ran for several first downs. The numbers were good, right, coach?

"I think he started a little bit slow and was kind of feeling his way around things," Rivera said. "Then as he started to find his way a little later, you started to see him get more effective and make some things happen."

Haskins actually started the game by completing his first three passes. The problem? The first was for negative two yards and the next two were for no gain. Clearly, Haskins was getting rid of the football as quickly as he could to avoid getting sacked.

He was brought down on the second series by Jamal Adams, on a scramble under pressure to his left. (Adams sacked Haskins three times last November, when he was here with the Jets.)

At times in the first half, there were glimmers of present and future hope. Haskins and Washington started moving the football early in the second quarter by stringing together four completions to Logan Thomas, including a 20-yard pass play, in which Haskins looked confident.

He appeared to set his feet well, read his progression to the second target (Thomas) and place the ball with accuracy and touch.

Then what had happened was ....

Two plays later, Haskins tried to squeeze a ball high and tight for Isaiah Wright inside the 10-yard line, but it was deflected up and picked off by Shaquill Griffin.

So Haskins turned a nice drive and a well-executed play into a mistake and no points.

Later, after a 30-yard strike to Terry McLaurin on third-and-6 and WFT now down 20-3, Haskins immediately made by far his worst mistake of the game, completely staring down his intended target - and D.J. Reed intercepted him at the Seattle 21.

So that was two huge mistakes, both in the strike-zone area and one closer than that after two huge completions of 20 and then 30 yards.

What gives? Haskins said on the second interception that Washington had max protection and ran a "two-man deep concept."

He further explained, "I saw the corner and I thought he was going to run with Terry ... He was playing in between both players and he fell off on a deep crossing route coming from across the field.

"I've got to see him and check the ball down to the running back. Got a little gun trickery right there trying to make a big play."

After that pick, the watch was on. Would Rivera pull the plug? Nope.

Instead, Haskins said he "got mad" at himself and things started clicking.

He led a 96-yard drive that featured a sweet third-and-11 completion on a crossing route over the middle to McLaurin and got into a rhythm. Before that, he took on contact standing in his own end zone on a third-and-6 completion to Robert Foster and Washington picked up an extra 15 yards on a roughing-the-passer flag.

Then he completed two passes to Thomas before running for a first down. Haskins hit J.D. McKissic on what appeared to be a wheel route for 12 yards to put the WFT at the Seattle 1, and then Peyton Barber finished the drive off. Haskins appeared to also help direct Barber on formation pre-snap.

On the next drive, Haskins hit McKissic a couple of times and then Cam Sims on a big third-and-5. The QB then scrambled for another first down.

Haskins and coordinator Scott Turner had the Seahawks going side to side and found McKissic wide open in the right flat for a score.

Two successful drives and, stunningly, the WFT was back in it.

Haskins was leading Washington on a potential game-winning march before pass protection and play-calling collapsed on the final three offensive snaps of the game, which ruined a storybook ending and a feel-good comeback.

But Haskins deserves credit for fighting back.

He's not the starter. He shouldn't be yet. Alex Smith deserves credit for generally making better decisions and having better command, but ... Haskins showed something on Sunday.

Resiliency? Calm? Spunk?

Considering where Dwayne Haskins has been in WFT, that's a start.