Alex Smith gets starting spot against Lions, Haskins to be No. 2 originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Alex Smith will be the Washington Football Team’s starting quarterback next Sunday against the Detroit Lions with Dwayne Haskins as the backup, head coach Ron Rivera said postgame Sunday.
“We’re going to continue to go forward with the setup the way it is. Alex will start and Dwayne [Haskins] will be the backup going forward,” Rivera said.
Kyle Allen, who had been Washington’s starter since Week 5, was forced to exit Sunday’s loss to the Giants with an ankle injury. Rivera did not offer a timetable for a possible return, but Allen is expected to be sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Download and Subscribe to the Washington Football Talk podcast
Smith looked promising at times Sunday. He threw for 321 yards, his highest tally ever in a Washington uniform. He also connected with Terry McLaurin on an incredible 68-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to trim New York’s lead to three.
But Smith did throw three devastating interceptions, with the last two coming late in the fourth quarter and ultimately costing Washington a chance to win the game. The first came off a tipped pass, but the latter was a poor decision from the veteran signal-caller.
Asked for an overall assessment on the veteran QB, Rivera said he was pleased with what he saw.
“I was very pleased. It was exciting to watch him get out there and see the things he did, to control the tempo the way he did.” Rivera said. “It’s unfortunate with the interceptions. He tried to make things happen, he tried to force things and unfortunately, bad things happened this time.”