Rivera: Heinicke to start over Haskins if Smith can't play Week 17

Dwayne Haskins won't start a must-win Week 17 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, even if top quarterback Alex Smith remains sidelined with a calf injury.

Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera said Monday Taylor Heinicke would get the nod over former first-round pick Haskins, who was benched in Week 16, according to the Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala.

Heinicke, a 27-year-old journeyman, replaced Haskins in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Carolina Panthers and nearly eclipsed Haskins' passing yardage in two drives.

Washington QBs vs. Panthers

Haskins - who was stripped of his captaincy before the game because of a COVID-19 protocol violation the previous week - has been a disappointment since Washington picked him 15th overall in the 2019 draft. The 23-year-old opened his sophomore campaign as the starter but was demoted to third-string duties after four outings.

Washington is hoping Smith can return after missing the last two games. The club is 4-1 when he starts and 2-8 when he doesn't.

"He was very close last week," Rivera said. "I thought he had an exceptional day on Friday, but it's always about how that person feels the next day and he felt it was still grabbing him a little bit.

"This week, I'm optimistic about the opportunity."

Washington will win the NFC East with a win over Philadelphia in the regular-season finale but will drop out of first place and the playoffs with a loss.