Washington Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019, in East Rutherford, N.J. After replacing Keenum late in the second quarter, Haskins came into the game completing nine out of his 17 passes for 107 yards, three interceptions and zero touchdowns. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
We are about a quarter of the way through the NFL season, and while there are some really electric offenses like the Chiefs and the Ravens, there are some really pathetic ones as well. Today, we debate which team has the worst offense in the NFL.
Ben Berg:
Through the first four weeks, the Washington Redskins are in the bottom five in virtually every offensive category of significance, a major reason for their 0-4 record. The scariest part is that things are likely only going to get worse from here. Washington is currently without their best offensive-lineman (Trent Williams), their best running back (Derrius Guice), their best wide receiver (Terry McLaurin) and their best tight-end (Jordan Reed), and it’s also not like any of those names really strike fear into the hearts of the opposition anyways. They are banged-up and without depth. Sadly Redskins fans, I still haven’t gotten to the worst part… the quarterback position. With Colt McCoy currently on the shelf, their only options are Case Keenum and Dwayne Haskins. Yikes. I won’t speculate on the type of career Haskins is going to have, but reports out of Washington coming into Week 4 were that he wasn’t ready for NFL action. After replacing Keenum late in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Giants, Haskins came into the game and swiftly justified those reports. He completed nine out of his 17 passes for 107 yards, three interceptions and zero touchdowns. This nightmare of a statline was against a New York defense that could reasonably be considered among the worst in the NFL through the first three weeks of the season. Now, the Redskins have a decision to make: Let the veteran Keenum take his lumps until Haskins is ready or throw the rookie QB to the wolves right away and risk compromising his development. Whatever they decide, it will likely lead to more of the same. This could get ugly.
Danny Barletta:
The Redskins stink don’t get me wrong, and I understand injuries have depleted their team. However, they do not have the worst offense in the league. Not by a long shot. That dishonor would have to go to the Miami Dolphins. At least with the Redskins, there is uncertainty about the future because Haskins just played in his first game and he could dramatically improve. With the Dolphins’ offense, there’s no uncertainty. They are just flat-out bad. You mention that the Redskins are in the bottom five in every offensive category, which is true. But do you know who is below them in every one of those? The Dolphins. Miami has scored the fewest points of any team in the league (that includes the Jets, who are also bad and have played one less game). The offense is averaging an abysmal 6.5 points per game. They are second-to-worst in total yards per game with 225. They are also the worst in turnover differential at negative seven. I’m sorry but as bad as the Redskins look, the Dolphins are a different level of bad.
Ben Berg:
For me, the one saving grace for the Dolphins is that they moved from Ryan Fitzpatrick to Josh Rosen. Though Rosen has had somewhat of a disastrous career thus far, he is not as interception-prone as Fitzpatrick, Keenum or Haskins. He may not light up the skies, but he also won’t cough up the ball as much as Washington does. The primary reason for the Redskins having a better turnover differential than Miami is that their defense actually seems to force turnovers themselves. For example, on Sunday, against the Giants, Haskins and Keenum combined for four interceptions. However, Washington came away with a turnover differential of zero because the Giants had just as many. Meanwhile, Miami traded away their only defensive stud in Minkah Fitzpatrick. Furthermore, an overlooked aspect of the Dolphins early struggles is that they’ve played against some very good defenses (Ravens, Cowboys, Chargers and Patriots). It’s not as bad as it seems in Miami. When their schedule lightens up, they should be able to improve slightly, good health permitting.
Danny Barletta:
It’s true that the Dolphins have played some tough defenses, but I don’t see them really improving even against “easier” teams, because no team is going to be easy for them. I’m not sold on Josh Rosen at all, but even if he’s a stud, we’ll never know it with this team. He has a bunch of scrubs around him. His offensive line can’t block, leading to him getting sacked 11 times in two and a half games. Rosen also has no weapons to throw to. His two most viable receivers are rookie Preston Williams and borderline-bust DeVante Parker, neither of which would be a third option on another team. The running game is equally as ineffective, with their top rusher being Kenyan Drake, who is averaging under 30 yards per game. The bottom line is no matter who the Dolphins play, they will be outmatched with their current offensive personnel. The only defense that I think they could put 30 points on is ironically their own. I wouldn’t want to be a fan of either of these teams this year, but the Dolphins are definitely the worst of the two. 0-16 is not out of the question for either team right now. #TankingForTua.
Ben Berg is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at ben.berg@uconn.edu. He tweets @bergywergy3030.
Danny Barletta is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at daniel.barletta@uconn.edu. He tweets @dbars_12.
