The Patriots' chances of opening up the 2019 season 5-0 are looking pretty good as they prepare to visit the winless Washington Redskins Sunday.
Not only do the Redskins field a defense that has no real way of stopping Tom Brady and the New England offense, but their quarterback situation is also less than ideal. In Week 4 against the Giants, head coach Jay Gruden pulled Case Keenum in favor of rookie first rounder Dwayne Haskins.
Safe to say, Haskins' debut didn't go so well. The Ohio State product threw three interceptions and one was taken back for a touchdown. Gruden was noncommittal about who he was going to start after his team's 24-3 loss to New York and he remained noncommital on Monday.
Gruden may be unsure about Haskins' ability to start this Sunday, but former Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann was adamant that the rookie wasn't ready for the Patriots in an interview with TMZ.
You cannot start him against the New England Patriots. You can't start Dwayne Haskins against the New England Patriots. I mean, it can't happen. It wouldn't be good for him, it wouldn't be good for the franchise, it wouldn't be good for football for crying out loud.
Theismann may have a point. The Patriots are routinely tough for rookie quarterbacks to play against, but this year their defense is playing at an elite level, especially in the secondary. Theismann also acknowledged the fact that the Redskins aren't a "disciplined" football team, making Haskins' job against a great team that much harder.
New England Patriots
So, if you're a Redskins fan, it isn't just the quarterback position, case missing people open, Dwayne having to go in and play and not really looking like he'd be able to handle it at this moment. But, it's those other things that really have got me concerned.
Coaches have rarely pulled their rookie quarterbacks after initially giving them the keys to the offense, but it might be the best for the Redskins and Haskins' confidence going forward if they didn't throw him out there against the Patriots' stout defensive unit.
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