Dwayne Haskins is set to start at quarterback for the Washington Football Team Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Alex Smith was not quite ready with his right calf injury. That’s despite him being a full participant in practice Friday.
Smith was sore on Saturday leading to less optimism about his chances starting. He has not played since exiting Week 14’s game against the San Francisco 49ers just before halftime.
This will be his second consecutive game missed. Meanwhile, Haskins will get the opportunity to start once again despite a tumultuous week in which he was fined and stripped of his captaincy after violating the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols for a second time this season.
Haskins started last week’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks in place of the injured Smith. Following the game, Haskins attended a maskless party to celebrate his girlfriends’s birthday. Initially, there were reports of him being in a strip club, but he later clarified it was a personal party with strippers in attendance.
Nonetheless, he violated protocols for the coronavirus and was punished by head coach Ron Rivera. Haskins was fined earlier this season for booking a reservation for a family friend at the team hotel ahead of their Week 6 game at the New York Giants — a game Haskins was inactive after being benched as the starter.
Haskins acknowledged he is on his final chance with Washington. Now, he starts with Washington’s playoff hopes hanging in the balance.
Washington clinches the NFC East division with a win Sunday and a loss by the New York Giants against the Baltimore Ravens. However, a loss could knock Washington out of first place, diminishing their playoff certainty.
