Washington Redskins rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins has been sacked more in 5 games than quarterbacks like Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Derek Carr, Patrick Mahomes, and Drew Brees have been sacked all year. Think about that.
In five starts this season, Haskins has been taken to the ground a total of 22 times — which doesn’t take into account the number of hits and pressures he’s felt. Put that on pace for a 16-game season, and Haskins would be sacked a total of 70 times. That would be the third most in NFL history, trailing only David Carr (76) and Randall Cunningham (72).
Something needs to be fixed.
While two of the teams that Haskins has faced as a starter rank in the top-10 of the league when it comes to QB pressures — the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills — the trend is still disturbing, and cause for much concern. We saw on Sunday that Haskins is able to play through some pain, as he toughed out the second half while hobbling on a bad ankle, but that’s no recipe for success with a young quarterback.
The Redskins have been playing with a weakened left side of the line after Pro-Bowl left tackle Trent Williams refused to play this season. The replacements have been serviceable, but the whole is less than the sum of its parts.
Much has been made about the need for stronger quarterback play to take this team to the next level, but it’s becoming increasingly obvious that what the Redskins need to focus on is protecting that quarterback and giving him time to make things happen. As Haskins goes, so will the team.
