We certainly do not know if this is the start of the Kyle Allen era or error. It is a first game for the former Carolina Panthers quarterback who head coach Ron Rivera sort of brought with him for the Washington Football Team. Allen was traded from the Panthers to Washington in exchange for a 5th round pick to give Rivera a back-up QB who knew his system. Knowing a system, does not give you any guarantee it will work. Allen does not have the pedigree of the first round pick, Dwayne Haskins, who was benched in favor of Allen, an undrafted QB from Texas A&M originally and transferred to Houston. Carolina got him strictly as a back-up and he finally got playing time when Cam Newton was injured last year.
Rivera said “by no means have I given up on” Haskins, who is now the No. 3 quarterback behind Alex Smith who will backup Allen today. Rivera said he wants Haskins to learn from the sideline and take a step back. Unfortunately, Haskins will not even be in the stadium as he said he has a stomach virus and will watch from home.
“A big part of it is watching and studying,” Rivera said about Haskins, via John Keim of ESPN.com. “Like today, he was back there behind the quarterback watching the reps, looking downfield. Just being involved, staying connected, which is important. . . . I’ve told you guys the only reason I’m doing what I’m doing is because of the circumstances and the situation we’re in right now.”
To be honest, Allen stunk most of last year. He had a QBR (total quarterback rating) of just 39.7, but his team went 5-7 under him which is much better than Haskins’ 1-3 this year. So yes, here we are. Kyle Allen had 17 touchdown passes last year, but 16 interceptions. This is how desperate it must be for Rivera to give the ball to Allen on a hope and prayer that he can be better than Haskins. If Allen stinks up the joint, it will be a credibility loss for Coach Rivera. With Alex Smith backing up Allen, there will be a lot of nervousness for the health of Smith who broke his leg in a gruesome tackle and had reconstruction of the bone and plays with a titanium rod. His road back has been chronicled on ESPN’s E:60 as a miracle.
“I have no trepidation having [Alex Smith] come in and play if that’s what happens,” Washington coach Ron Rivera said.
So for the good news, rookie running-back Antonio Gibson’s first season as a dual-threat runner and receiver (83.3% catch ratio) opened up eyes last week as the third-round back gained 128 yards from scrimmage on 17 touches against the Ravens. With his touchdown against Baltimore, that marked the third consecutive game with a TD. He is now tied with Raiders running back Josh Jacobs for the league-lead with 12 broken tackles. He’s done that on 44 carries compared to Jacobs’ 83. According to Next Gen Stats, Gibson’s 40-yard reception against the Ravens included 26 yards after the catch. He is exciting, and along with Terry McLaurin, a legit weapon on offense for Allen.
Rams’ head coach, Sean McVay, was once thought of as a future head coach when he was with the former Washington Redskins as the offensive coordinator and six years with Washington. McVay was offered the Rams head coaching spot and has flourished with a Super Bowl appearance in his second season with L.A. two years ago.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Washington DE Chase Young (groin) is expected to play in Week 5 against the Rams.
That is a huge headline that the WFT’s top pick, Chase Young (2nd overall in the first round) who went down two weeks ago with a tweaked groin will return today. He’s currently the frontrunner for Defensive Rookie of the Year and will bolster a WFT defense that needs a star like him to disrupt the Ram’s offense. In Young’s season so far, he has been credited with 2 1/2 sacks this season, and he has played in less than 2 1/2 games. Ryan Kerrigan certainly has looked better with Young in front of him. His stats have looked far different with Young in the game.
This game will be played in FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland and televised on FOX at 1 pm EDT. The final Vegas line had Washington as an 8.5 point underdog.
