Washington Football Team: Studs and duds in Week 4 loss to Ravens
Washington Football Team Dud: Dwayne Haskins taking sacks
After looking awful against the Cleveland Browns, Haskins didn’t have a bad day for Washington. He didn’t make a lot of downfield plays until the late-game pass to McLaurin, but he avoided turnovers and completed 71 percent of his passes for the team.
However, his situational awareness needs to get better. And one of the key areas that stood out in was when he was under pressure.
Haskins took three sacks against a solid Ravens defense. Those numbers weren’t bad, especially when considering the state of his offensive line. However, he lost a whopping 40 yards on those three sacks. That absolutely cannot happen.
The most egregious sack that Haskins took was on a first-and-goal play in the fourth quarter. The team already had a penalty that knocked them back to the 15 and then Haskins took an 18-yard sack that effectively ended the team’s chances of scoring and cutting into the Ravens’ 18-point lead.
Again, this probably wouldn’t have made a massive difference at the end of the day. But had Washington been able to score in that scenario, they’d be in a 10 or 11-point game. Instead, they turned the ball over on downs.
Haskins just needed to throw the ball away. And if he’s going to take a sack, he can’t retreat far in the pocket trying to escape it. He simply doesn’t have the speed needed to avoid quick pass rushers at this point.
Next. Three takeaways from Washington's loss to Ravens. dark
This was still a solid game from Haskins, but as will be the case in every game he plays this year, he needs to learn from this performance. The biggest area for improvement is this area, so it will be interesting to see if he can better avoid sacks against the Rams.