Washington Football Team: Breaking down the decision to bench Dwayne Haskins, start Kyle Allen
4. This move is about trying to win now
The most confusing part of this move is that this is, in a way, a win-now move. Yes, the 1-3 Washington Football Team, a team that is rebuilding and has, arguably, one of the weakest offensive rosters in the NFL (outside of Terry McLaurin). This is a team that has a first-year coach and by no means has to win this year, but they’re going to try to win some games and compete for the NFC East title.
Obviously, seeing Washington win is excellent for the fans. There’s no better feeling. But let’s be honest: Does anyone view this team as a Super Bowl contender? Anyone? They may be able to make the playoffs, but that’s not because the team has a lot of talent. It’s because the NFC East is the worst division in football by quite a lot.
We’re a month into the season and the current leader in the NFC East is the 1-2-1 Philadelphia Eagles. They easily could’ve lost to either the Bengals or 49ers, so their record could be worse. Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys are 1-3, but they could easily be 0-4 if not for a classic Atlanta Falcons collapse. Both of these teams were thought to be the class of the division, but now, the division is completely up for grabs.
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As Rivera sees it, these next four games are an opportunity for Washington. They’re playing the Rams at home, then the Giants on the road, and then they get two games at home against the Cowboys and the Giants at home. All the games are hypothetically winnable with the Rams representing the most difficult matchup. And if Washington can rattle off some wins, especially against divisional opponents, they could put themselves in the playoff mix.
Right or wrong, that’s how Rivera sees it. There’s a path to winning. And this is the NFL. If you see a path to the playoffs, you go for it no matter how low the likelihood of winning a Super Bowl is.
Given that Rivera’s confidence in Haskins appeared to be waning, he’s more comfortable trusting Allen, who has familiarity with Turner’s scheme and had some solid performances last year, to earn some wins and keep them alive in the divisional race.
Maybe if things don’t go well for Allen and a true playoff contender emerges in the NFC East, things will change again for Rivera and he could consider making another change. But for now, Allen is the man because Rivera thinks he gives Washington the best chance to win.