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Three takeaways from Washington Football Team’s Week 3 loss vs. Browns

By Jacob Camenker

CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 27: Wide receiver Dontrelle Inman #80 of the Washington Football Team catches a touchdown pass while under pressure from strong safety Karl Joseph #42 of the Cleveland Browns during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 27, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns defeated the Washington Football Team 34-20. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 27: Wide receiver Dontrelle Inman #80 of the Washington Football Team catches a touchdown pass while under pressure from strong safety Karl Joseph #42 of the Cleveland Browns during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 27, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns defeated the Washington Football Team 34-20. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 27: Dwayne Haskins #7 of the Washington Football Team looks to throw a pass against the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter in the game at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 27, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 27: Dwayne Haskins #7 of the Washington Football Team looks to throw a pass against the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter in the game at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 27, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

1. Good starts to each half overshadowed by Dwayne Haskins’ turnovers

Washington’s start to Sunday’s game was their best of the season. That’s not saying much considering that they were down 17-0 and 20-0 respectively in their first two games of the season, but their first-quarter performance gave them a legitimate chance to build on the lead early.

Washington started the game against Cleveland by avoiding a three-and-out and flipping the field position. Their defense played well while their offense was able to make some marginal gains before mounting a nice touchdown drive capped off by a great Dontrelle Inman catch.

When they were doing well, Washington was mixing up their weapons. Dwayne Haskins was spreading the ball around and the unpredictability made it easier for Washington to move the ball. Plus, Haskins was making smart decisions and his footwork looked good. It looked like he was improving and comfortable thanks to his early performance in the short passing game.

Then, things went south quickly. Haskins started making poor decisions and getting happy feet in the pocket. He missed high on a pass that was picked by Karl Joseph and returned for a massive gain. That set up a Nick Chubb rushing touchdown.

Later, Haskins stared down a receiver, threw into double coverage, and saw the ball get picked again. That turned into another seven points for Cleveland and that put them up 10, erasing the solid early performance of Washington.

dark. Next. Five turnovers sink Haskins, Washington vs. Cleveland

This first-half performance was a discouraging one for Washington since they couldn’t build on their early success. And it was much the same in the second half, as they made a big comeback but were unable to do enough to hold onto the lead as Haskins’ mistakes crushed them down the stretch.

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