NFL Power Rankings 2020, Week 4: Washington drops again after loss to Cleveland

Washington dropped last week after their loss to the Arizona Cardinals, and they continue to move down the rankings following their 30-15 loss to the Cleveland Browns. They host a Baltimore Ravens team that just got shown up on Monday Night Football by the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Washington opened as 13.5 point underdogs at home, and that line could get even worse closer to game time.

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 20-21 as they enter Week 4. How low will Washington if they have another poor showing this week?

Rankings: 32

Highest Ranking: 20

Lowest Ranking: 31

Average Ranking: 26.5

20. Sporting News

Washington saw another roller-coaster ride for Dwayne Haskins in the new offense. The defense went back to wilting against the run and te pass rush will keep hurting should rookie Chase Young miss a lot more time with his groin injury. Last Week: 18

22. Touchdown Wire

Dwayne Haskins’ three-interception game against the Browns in a 34-20 embarrassment had head coach Ron Rivera stating that while Haskins is still his guy, there’s a limit to how long the team will be patient with its 2019 first-round pick.

“The truth of the matter is how is [Haskins] going to learn?” Rivera said on Monday. “Is he going to learn while taking the [scout] team snaps? No. The only way we are going to find out where Dwayne is and what he can do is by putting him back out on the football field and let him get exposed. That is how he grows. That is what we did with Cam Newton [Rivera was Newton’s coach early on with the Panthers] and look where he is today. Cam Newton was a league MVP because we trusted him and we took our lumps with him. I am going to take my lumps with Dwayne right now.”

Well. Newton was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2011, presenting a combination of throwing and running the NFL found very difficult to deal with. NFL defenses have not had the same issues with whatever Haskins brings to the table. Last Week: 17

22. Detroit Free Press

Last Week: 21

22. NumberFire

Last Week: 22

22. Draft Kings Nation

Last Wee: 19

23. Betting Pros

Washington actually led in the second half of their game against the Browns but was outscored 17-0 in the fourth quarter on their way to a 34-20 loss. Dwayne Haskins threw three interceptions in the loss, and most concerning was that all of them came at key moments. In total, the Football Team had five turnovers and forced zero. There was excitement surrounding this team after Week 1 but since then, Washington has lost by multiple possessions in each game. Last Week: 24

23. New York Post

Last Week: 18

23. Heavy.com

Last Week: 21

24. Fansided

Ron Rivera’s headed to Cleveland to take on the well-rested Browns. Washington has had its problems early in games and fell behind by 10 in the second quarter. But the team owned a 20-17 fourth-quarter lead thanks in part to Dwayne Haskins, who finished with 224 passing yards and a pair of scores but was also sacked three times, picked off three times and lost one of his two fumbles. Washington was outscored 17-0 in the fourth quarter. Last Week: 19

24. Bleacher Report

Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen glimmers of hope for the Washington Football Team. The defensive line has been as good as any in the NFL. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins has taken better care of the football.

Most of that hope evaporated in a sloppy 14-point loss to the Browns in Cleveland. Washington lost rookie edge-rusher Chase Young and defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis to injuries. Haskins committed four of Washington’s five turnovers in the game, throwing three picks and losing a fumble.

Washington might be a better football team under Ron Rivera than it was a season ago, but this remains a team that doesn’t have enough talent to overcome a litany of mistakes.

Do five turnovers count as a litany? It feels like it should.

Unfortunately, things don’t get any easier for Washington. Next week, the WFT hosts a Ravens team that will be favored by double digits. Then the 2-1 Rams come for a visit.

1-4, anyone? Last Week: 21

24. Pro Football Talk

The inevitable Alex Smith Disney movie could soon have the perfect ending. Last Week: 23

24. Associated Press

Last Week: 20

25. ESPN

What we got wrong: The running backs would play a big role in the passing game.

Through three games, running backs Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic have combined for 10 catches for 54 yards; the catch total is OK but the damage done hasn’t been as expected, especially with their background as receivers. Some of that lack of production is circumstantial — against Arizona, they needed to help more in protection. Other times they haven’t taken advantage of matchups vs. linebackers, or quarterback Dwayne Haskins hasn’t looked their way enough. Or they’ve been asked to run a lot of swing passes that haven’t resulted in much. They do have 17 combined targets, which is good, but the effectiveness needs to improve. — John Keim Last Week: 25

26. Washington Post

The loss in Arizona should put expectations back more in line with where this team really is. It will play hard and be more competitive with Coach Ron Rivera in charge. But this team is limited offensively and even approaching a .500 season would be a major accomplishment. Last Week: 23

27. Chicago Tribune

They’re already talking about possibly moving on from Dwayne Haskins, and that doesn’t bode well for last year’s first-round pick. “There are guys in that locker room that are playing to win,” coach Ron Rivera said. “We have to make sure that everybody is playing well enough to win at that point. There is a cutoff point for me.” Last Week: 25

27. Bleeding Green Nation

Dwayne Haskins ain’t it. The Football Team should probably keep playing him to see if he can prove the doubters wrong. But at some point they might actually want to turn to Alex Smith (or Kyle Allen?), who might give them a better chance to win a weak division. Last Week: 26

27. The Ringer

NFC East futility

Let’s talk about the NFC East for a minute. I’ll start out by saying that the Cowboys are the clear favorites in this division and are almost surely better than their 1-2 record. As for the other three teams, well, they might actually be worse than their records. (Can you get worse than 0-3 after three games? I don’t know, but the Giants are making a case.) Washington’s defense has some talent, but the offense is a mess, and Dwayne Haskins’s prospects as a high-level starter look increasingly poor. And things are somehow even worse in Philly. The Eagles punted from their own 49-yard line with 19 seconds to go in overtime so they could secure a tie. It’s bleak. Last Week: 28

27. Lineups

Washington had a much tougher time defending a team with a healthy offensive line. This game also showed us that Washington’s offense is in dire need of a playmaker.

28. USA Today

Sunday’s Battle of the Beltway with Baltimore will still involve a first-place team ... because 1-2 is good enough for a first-place share of the NFC (L)East. Last Week: 27

28. Athlon Sports

The growing pains we saw from Dwayne Haskins aside, it was fellow Buckeye Chase Young who showed how critical he was to his team in a return to Ohio on Sunday. This team isn’t quite ready to compete for a full 60 minutes anytime soon it appears. Last Week: 27

28. Sports Illustrated

Ron Rivera is sticking with Dwayne Haskins, after he turned the ball over four times in the loss to Cleveland, but the coach acknowledged there is a “cutoff point” at which it’s no longer fair to the rest of the locker room to keep playing the second-year QB. The question now is how close Rivera is to reaching that. Last Week: 21

29. Yahoo(Schwab)

Dwayne Haskins Jr. is on notice. Maybe the Alex Smith story is too good to leave alone, or Ron Rivera believes in Kyle Allen more than he should. But Haskins can’t continue to struggle and keep playing, and once he gets benched, you have to wonder if Washington will be looking for another quarterback next offseason. Last Week: 30

30. Pro Football Network

Dwayne Haskins really continues to struggle although he really isn’t getting much help in Washington. But he has to protect the football better. The Football Team is very light on weapons besides Terry McLaurin around Haskins and their offensive line was totally overmatched against Cleveland. And Washington lost Chase Young early in this game. Last Week: 25

30. NFL.com(Hanzus)

The clock is officially ticking on Dwayne Haskins. A day after the second-year quarterback had four turnovers (including three ugly interceptions) in a loss to the Browns, coach Ron Rivera told reporters there will be “a cut-off point” for Haskins as the team’s starter. You can understand the coach’s frustration. Washington battled hard in Cleveland and took a lead into the fourth quarter, but Haskins’ mistakes doomed the team. The background here is key: Rivera was not responsible for Haskins’ arrival in Washington as a first-round pick last year, and Rivera is front and center in what will be a complete overhaul of the operation, from roster to team name. Kyle Allen could be playing as soon as next Sunday, while a return to game action for Alex Smith is not out of the question. Last Week: 26

30. CBS Sports (Prisco)

They’ve lost two straight road games and haven’t looked good in doing so. It’s going to be a long season. Last Week: 28

30. NESN

Following its comeback win over Philadelphia to star the season, Washington dropped double-digit losses to Arizona and Cleveland. WFT might stay in contention longer than it should given the weak state of the NFC East, however. Last Week: 28

30. Radio.com

Even with a surprise win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, it appears that the leash on Dwayne Haskins may be getting pretty short in Washington. The 2019 first-round pick was picked off three times in a loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 3, with head coach Ron Rivera later admitting that there is “a cut-off point” for when he’ll seriously consider benching the second-year quarterback. It’s unclear if Alex Smith could actually play in an NFL game right now, but Kyle Allen had some pretty competitive stretches in Carolina with Rivera a year ago. In a very winnable division, Haskins may be playing for his starting job in Week 4, when he’ll have the unenviable task of squaring off with an angry Baltimore Ravens team. Last Week: 29

30. Walter Football

I saw people on Twitter opining that Carson Wentz is the worst quarterback in the NFL. Clearly, they haven’t seen Dwayne Haskins, who is incredibly raw and can’t read defenses at all. He has major upgrades to make, and if he doesn’t spend lots of time in the film room, he won’t be in the NFL much longer. Last Week: 30

30. Fansided(Verderame)

Dwayne Haskins doesn’t look very promising and the supporting cast is poor. It’s going to be defense and a bunch of punting. Last Week: 29

30. The Lines

Hopefully Chase Young (groin) returns next week to complete what has been one of the most dangerous pass rushes in football. Dwayne Haskins is killing Washington with poor ball security, but there is hope for this listless franchise under Ron Rivera. Last Week: 31

31. Sportsnaut

Week 1’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles seems like ancient history. Instead, Washington is back at its rightful place as one of the worst teams in the NFL. Second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins gifted the Browns three touchdowns last week. There’s now some thought that has to be given to the idea of starting Alex Smith. He has not suited up in a game since November of 2018. Last Week: 30

31. OddsShark

Last Week: 32