NFL Power Rankings 2020, Week 6: Freefalling

Washington dropped last week after their loss to the Baltimore Ravens. and they continue to move down the rankings following their 31-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. They visit the 0-5 New York Giants and are 3 point underdogs.

There is a narrowing range of opinions on what kind of team Washington is(and will be) this season, and the rankings show a range of anywhere from 26-31 as they enter Week 6. How low will Washington go if they have another double digit loss this week?

Rankings: 32

Highest Ranking: 26

Lowest Ranking: 31

Average Ranking: 29.4

26. Sporting News

Washington went from Dwayne Haskins to Kyle Allen to Alex Smith, and the offensive results are still limited because of supporting personnel issues. The defense is starting to break down, too, after a good early start. Last Week: 25

27. ESPN

Biggest weakness: Offense

Washington ranks 30th or worse in a number of key offensive categories: points per game, yards per game, third down, rushing yards per game, passing yards per game, total QBR and sacks per pass attempt. The team benched quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. after four starts, but there’s a lot more that needed to be done around him. The defense isn’t playing well or consistently, but it’s the offense that has been bad across the board. The hope for Washington is that in the next five weeks it plays three defenses ranked 23rd or worse in yards allowed per game: Dallas, Cincinnati and Detroit. Now is the time when they need to show growth. — John Keim Last Week: 26

27. Betting Pros

Alex Smith returning to the field was one of the most inspirational moments that the NFL has ever had. Two years ago, it looked like he might lose his leg, and on Sunday, he played meaningful snaps in a professional football game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a storybook ending for Smith, who threw for just 37 yards and was sacked six times. Washington has dropped four straight and needs to figure things out offensively if they want to remain in the hunt for the NFC East title. Last Week: 27

27. NumberFire

Last Week: 22

28. Washington Post

Alex Smith’s return to the field added to the inspiring stories on this team this season. Unfortunately, the football being played remains dreadful. Last Week: 28

28. Touchdown Wire

Seeing Alex Smith return to the field after leg injuries that went far beyond gruesome was part inspiring and part trepidatious, especially against a Rams defense that sacked him six times on just 24 dropbacks. If you were wincing every time Aaron Donald took Smith to the turf (which he did four times), you were not alone. But Smith got through it, being tough and smart as he always is. The only problem was, when Smith played quarterback against the Rams, he was kind of Alex Smithy — which was tremendous in a personal sense, but not exactly explosive in a football sense. Per Sports Info Solutions, Smith amassed a grand total of zero air yards on his 17 attempts and nine completions. Getting Smith to the next game is a victory in itself; having offensive coordinator Scott Turner move the needle in the passing game against the Giants on Sunday would be similarly optimal. Last Week: 21

28. Pro Football Talk

Alex Smith gives them a much better chance than Kyle Allen to turn this thing around. Last Week: 27

28. The Ringer

Last Week: 29

29. Fansided

Head coach Ron Rivera opted to sit Dwayne Haskins in favor of quarterback Kyle Allen, who got off to a rough start and eventually was forced to leave the game. That signaled the emotional return of Alex Smith, back on the field for the first time in nearly two years. But it would be a long afternoon for Ron Rivera’s club as the team gave up 30-plus points for the fourth straight outing. The Washington offense managed a disappointing 108 total yards. Last Week: 27

29. Chicago Tribune

Credit to Ron Rivera for pulling the plug on last year’s first-round pick, Dwayne Haskins, when he did. Kyle Allen isn’t the long-term answer at quarterback, but sticking with Haskins wasn’t going to work. The offense totaled only 108 yards in a home loss to the Rams. Last Week: 28

29. Bleacher Report

Nearly two years after suffering a career- and life-threatening leg injury, Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith saw his first game action Sunday since November 2018.

“It was great to be out there, the feeling, the range of emotions, the good and the bad,” Smith told reporters. “It’s why I fought so hard to come back. Sometimes you can take it for granted. Certainly to be away from it for a couple years, I’ve missed it.”

However, it didn’t matter who was playing quarterback for Washington. The Rams racked up eight sacks and limited Washington to only 108 yards of total offense.

Before kickoff Sunday, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported Washington is likely to trade 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins in the coming weeks. In other words, dysfunction junction is back in the nation’s capital.

“Make that four consecutive losses by at least 14 points,” Gagnon said. “I know they were a work in progress even when they were healthy, but the NFL has too much parity for anyone to be blown out that consistently without there being deeper concerns.”

Last Week: 30

29. New York Post

Last Week: 26

29. Associated Press

Last Week: 26

29. Heavy.com

Last Week: 28

30. NFL.com(Hanzus)

Week 1 seems so long ago. Back on Sept. 13, Washington sacked Carson Wentz eight times in an upset win over the Eagles. The Football Team has managed just seven sacks total in the four games since, all losses by at least two touchdowns. The defense hasn’t lived up to lofty early expectations, while the offense has cratered. Dwayne Haskins watched from home as Washington managed 108 total yards in a 30-10 loss to the Rams. Kyle Allen provided little spark before exiting with a shoulder injury, and Alex Smith got hit way too often in his first game action since his harrowing leg injury in 2018. Ron Rivera said after the loss that Allen will remain the starter if he’s cleared to play ahead of this week’s matchup against the winless Giants. Last Week: 30

30. Lineups

The quarterback changes have been flying as Dwayne Haskins, Alex Smith, and Kyle Allen have gotten reps over the last two games. It won’t matter if this offensive line can’t give them any time to throw. Last Week: 29

30. USA Today

Most impressive 37-yard passing day in NFL history ... and perhaps the clincher for best NFL story of 2020. Welcome back, Alex Smith. Last Week: 30

30. Yahoo(Schwab)

It’s a good thing Washington got that Week 1 win. They’ve lost by at least 14 points in every game since. And even in that Week 1 win, they trailed Philadelphia 17-0. Having that “1” next to their name means that we won’t pay much attention to how bad they might be, like we will with the winless teams. Last Week: 30

30. CBS Sports (Prisco)

No matter who plays quarterback, they are a bad team. Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen or Alex Smith aren’t saving this team. Last Week: 30

30. NESN

It was great to see Alex Smith back on the football field in Week 5. But outside of the QB’s return, there was nothing to get excited about for Washington this past Sunday. Last Week: 30

30. Bleeding Green Nation

Alex Smith taking NFL snaps was simultaneously great to see and terrifying. He doesn’t look like he’s ready to be effective, though, so it’ll be more Kyle Allen if he’s healthy. Washington obviously needs to find their long-term quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft. Last Week: 30

30. Fansided(Verderame)

Alex Smith’s story is an all-timer. Last Week: 30

30. Detroit Free Press

Last Week: 29

30. Draft Kings Nation

Last Week: 29

30. Radio.com

Last Week: 30

31. Sports Illustrated

Alex Smith is an amazing story. But if what Dwayne Haskins saw during practice last week looked anything like what the rest of us saw on the field from Kyle Allen and Smith against the Rams, I can understand why Haskins was violently ill for days. Washington had 108 yards of offense on Sunday, unfathomable for a professional football team in 2020. Over 29 snaps with Smith at quarterback, the Football Team gained 25 yards. According to my Mike McCarthy–brand analytics machine, that is 0.86 yards per play. Last Week: 24

31. Athlon Sports

An incredible moment from the franchise and the league overall when Alex Smith trotted out onto the field for his first action since the injury. Sadly that was the lone high point for the team against the Rams as things have gotten away from the coaching staff quickly. Last Week: 30

31. Pro Football Network

With Dwayne Haskins benched, Kyle Allen got the start but got injured. Alex Smith then replaced him. It was amazing to see Smith back on a football field, but he and Allen combined for 70 passing yards while being sacked eight times. This offense produced just 2.1 yards per play, which is just rare (and pathetic) in today’s NFL. We’ll see how they rebound next week and if they can make a move up the NFL Power Rankings list. Last Week: 31

31. Walter Football

I’m glad Alex Smith got to play one more time, but not really because his presence on the field gave the Redskins no chance to cover, spoiling what would’ve otherwise been a perfect 7-0 ATS early slate for me. I should probably care more about Smith being able to play, but I’m a degenerate gambler, and I won’t apologize for that. Last Week: 31

31. The Lines

Alex Smith made his first appearance in two years, but had little chance to get anything going behind an overwhelmed offensive line that yielded 8 sacks. Last Week: 31

31. Sportsnaut

Brutal. Absolutely pathetic. While it was a nice story to see Alex Smith get on the field for the first time in almost two years, this Washington

Football Team is downright terrible. Smith and fellow quarterback Kyle Allen tallied 70 net passing yards on 30 attempts in last week’s 20-point loss to the Los Angeles. That’s impressively bad. Last Week: 31

31. OddsShark

Last Week: 30