Washington Football Team: Three takeaways from loss vs. Panthers

1. The Dwayne Haskins era has come to an end

On Sunday, Dwayne Haskins had a chance to right his wrongs from a tumultuous week. After starting in Week 15 against the Seahawks and leading the team to a loss, he broke COVID protocol for the second time this season and became the subject of scrutiny for his actions.

Ultimately, he lost his role of team captain and was fined $40K for the incident. He wasn’t suspended though, as Washington had a chance to win the division and with Alex Smith injured, it seemed like Haskins would give the team the best chance of earning that win.

Or so everyone thought. Instead, Haskins put for the dud of all duds. He was horrible for Washington, leading them to a pitiful six points, turning the ball over three times, and making numerous poor decisions during the game that cost the Washington offense dearly.

After completing 50 percent of his passes for just 154 yards, Haskins was benched in favor of Taylor Heinicke. Instantly, the Washington offense was able to move the ball and if not for an iffy holding penalty on Wes Schweitzer, he would’ve led the team on a TD drive.

Either way, Heinicke outplayed Haskins significantly. Yes, a quarterback signed off the street less than three weeks ago outperformed a first-round pick who had been with the team for nearly two full seasons. That’s damning of Haskins’ incompetence and it demonstrates what most already knew.

Haskins looks like a bust. He hasn’t improved or shown the proper desire to improve either. Ron Rivera doesn’t trust him. His time in Washington has likely come to an end.

Even if Haskins stays on the rest of the season, he isn’t in Washington’s long-term plans. He simply hasn’t proven to be a good enough option at quarterback. Expect him to be dumped early in the offseason for low-level draft capital or cut outright if they can’t get anyone to bite.

Either way, it’s over. And what a disappointing two years it was from the former first-round pick.