Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith was ruled out of Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks with a strained right calf, putting the team's four-game winning streak and the NFC East lead in jeopardy.
Smith will be replaced by second-year QB Dwayne Haskins against the Seahawks (9-4). Haskins will make his first start since a Week 4 loss to Baltimore. Coach Ron Rivera benched Haskins after that game, saying the team wanted to see more growth -- and multiple sources in the organization said he needed to do more preparation while not at the facility.
Now he'll be tasked with helping Washington's playoff chances. The team is 6-7 and owns a one-game lead over the New York Giants in the NFC East.
"I would say I'm pretty resilient," Haskins said. "Life gets at you fast, and the biggest thing you can do is stand in the fire and walk through the flame and that's what I did."
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Probably not a stretch to say this might be Haskin's last opportunity to prove he deserves to be a starter. Hope he seizes the chance.