What we learned from the Redskins 19-9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings

The long-awaited “Kirk Cousins game” did not go the way the Washington Redskins and their fans had planned, unfortunately. Washington had come into the game with a 1-6 record; meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings were 5-2 and winners of three straight. It was a dud of a game in terms of relevancy for the Redskins, which wasn’t expected by many fans had when the schedule was released in April. Though he did not have to do much against the Redskins defense, Cousins played well. Meanwhile, the Redskins continue to struggle at the quarterback position, for many different reasons. Here is what we learned from the Thursday night loss to the Vikings.

The Dwayne Haskins situation, from all-aspects, is continuing to develop into a serious conundrum.

Because Dwayne Haskins is the future of the Redskins franchise, his performance and storyline thus far is undoubtedly the biggest takeaway from the loss against Minnesota. The Dwayne Haskins situation, from all-aspects, is continuing to develop into a serious conundrum. The Redskins coaching staff, from day one, has preached patience and development for Haskins, and initially, everyone invested in the Redskins bought in. The initial rumblings from media and the fanbase calling for Haskins to start began in the preseason, where Haskins talented arm and sneaky athleticism overwhelmed his inconsistencies as a quarterback. We are now in Week Nine of the NFL season, and the call for Haskins to start has grown every week. Haskins is the backup quarterback currently, and because of two separate Case Keenum injuries, he came in to finish both the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings games. Haskins did not play well in either game.

Haskins’ performances bring into question two different things moving forward - what are the coaches doing to develop Haskins to this point that media and fans cannot see? More importantly, what is Dwayne Haskins doing as an individual to continue progressing as a young rookie quarterback in the NFL? The outcry by fans and national media is a little overblown regarding his spot play. Obviously, in a backup role, you are expected to serve in a way that Dwayne Haskins served. It does not matter what coaches tell the public, if a quarterback is second on the depth chart, they must be prepared at all times. Recent examples include Gardner Minshew, Luke Falk, Kyle Allen, Baker Mayfield (2018) (now starting quarterback), Nick Mullens (2018), and Cardale Jones (2016).

Cardale Jones is no longer in the league, and Luke Falk may not be too far behind him, unfortunately, but the point is preparation matters most in the backup role. The preparation comes down to coaches and the player himself, so, back to the two questions at hand. Former head coach Jay Gruden and now interim head coach Bill Callahan continues to preach patience and lack of readiness as to why Haskins is not starting now. However, to what degree is Dwayne truly ready if he is serving as a backup quarterback?

It is important to note that it is okay for Haskins not to be ready right now, rookies develop at their own pace, and as long as he continues to progress versus being stagnant or regressing, he will be okay. The most disturbing thing to note, though, is Haskins accuracy and processing. In the first two outings, Haskins has been off-target on numerous occasions and has struggled to see the field at an adequate speed that allows him to operate smoothly on his dropbacks, pre-snap adjustments, and allows him to avoid unnecessary hits in the pocket. According to multiple beat reporters, Haskins was very dejected after the Minnesota Vikings – in a sense that he was upset at himself more than anything. Haskins current struggles may be the most adversity the young quarterback has faced in years, if not his entire football career.

What is not fair to Haskins is the public scrutiny from media members and some of the Redskins fanbase who has turned speculations of his weaknesses into a matter of facts. Furthermore, it is not fair to determine his NFL career as a failed one after six months as a pro quarterback. Nobody truly knows to this point how hard Haskins works, nor do they know his mental approach playing the role that he currently is in as a Redskin’. Haskins will be given his time to start the rest of the season very soon. However, to this point, Haskins has not been given a chance to succeed from all-aspects of the situation, it is time for everyone involved to change their tone on Haskins, and give the quarterback the same opportunity other young quarterbacks were given when. Patience was once an excellent quality that, unfortunately, most people do not have anymore.

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