A week after having arguably the worst performance of his professional career, Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins came out against the Baltimore Ravens this past week and put on possibly the best performance of his career, throwing for 314 yards and no interceptions with one rushing touchdown. It came in a 14-point loss to one of the AFC’s best teams, but it was undoubtedly the type of progress that Washington’s coaching staff was looking for.
For all of the people who are still pinning the loss on Haskins, the tape might tell something different. There, of course, were a few moments in the game that Dwayne would like to have back, like a 4th and goal from the 13 where he dumped it into the flats for a five-yard gain, but overall it was a solid performance. ESPN’s expert QB analyst Dan Orlovsky breaks down why it was good.
Haskins Sunday vs Baltimore
2 missed reads
1 on a 0 blitz pop out by Campbell
1 on a protection change poor by him2 missed throws
1 on a check down
1 on a slant to MclaurinThe QB isn’t the problem.
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) October 6, 2020
Good luck QB @WashingtonNFL spacing in their pass game.
HASS TO GET BETTER. 4 guys all on top of each other. Where’s QB supposed to throw? There’s 8 clips like this. pic.twitter.com/bKQjZE42FP— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) October 6, 2020
The image that Orlovsky showed is a stark realization of something that we don’t often see during the game, and usually only comes from grinding the tape. It’s clear that Haskins is at times struggling to find open receivers down the field, but it’s not rare to see his receivers doing very little to help him.
With a young team in a new offense, it’s going to take time to gain familiarity and grow comfortable. Four games into the season, things aren’t going to be perfect. Stay patient, and hope that we see some continued growth.
