Redskins: Studs and duds from the team’s Week 12 win over Lions

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LANDOVER, MD – NOVEMBER 17: Dwayne Haskins #7 of the Washington Redskins looks to pass against the New York Jets during the first half at FedExField on November 17, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Dud: Haskins’ early accuracy

It wasn’t all pretty for Haskins. And for a time, it seemed that he wasn’t going to be able to get much going at all.

Throughout much of the game and especially in the first half, Haskins struggled with his accuracy. He misfired on so many throws early in the game and typically, he missed high. This is common for rookies, and it often points to one thing. Nerves.

Haskins was likely anxious to prove himself after the team put up a dud in his first home start. As a result, he was a bit too amped up and the rush of adrenaline may have had an impact on him.

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As the game went along, Haskins did get more comfortable as he did last week. But it simply took him far too long to get settled. And against a better defense (Detroit is ranked 30th in the NFL out of 32 teams), some of Haskins’ misfires could have been turned into turnovers or negative plays for the team. So, that’s something for him to work on moving forward.

Of course, it’s also worth noting that Bill Callahan and Kevin O’Connell need to devise a better plan to open games for Haskins. Against the Jets, the plan had Haskins checking down early and often. This week, it had him relying too much on a non-existent running game that got him behind the chains. Perhaps if that is improved, Haskins will settle in quicker.

This didn’t end up impacting the end result of this game, but just imagine the lead the ‘Skins could’ve jumped out to had they been able to move the ball more early on. It will be exciting to see if Haskins gets more accurate and comfortable in his third start next week against the Panthers.

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