Dwayne Haskins named Redskins’ starter for remainder of season

Former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins has officially been named the Washington Redskins starter for the remainder fo the season.

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Former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins is getting the shot he’s been dreaming of. That’s because he was named the starting quarterback for the Washington Redskins for the remainder of the season Monday by interim head coach Bill Calahan.

Haskins had already been given the starting nod when Case Keenum went into concussion protocol, but it was thought to be a cup of coffee until he was back and fully healthy. However, the firing of head coach Jay Gruden may have thrown a bit of a wrench into things and precipitated the desire to get the rookie quarterback the experience needed to evaluate and move his development forward.

So, after starting two-straight weeks, Haskins is now the guy through the rest of the season.

The Dwyane Haskins era in Washington has officially started. Let’s see how this kid slings it around the last seven games of the year. The Redskins face the New York Jets Sunday.

Bucs underdogs at home in Week 11 for the first time all season

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers face the New Orleans Saints in Week 11 as home underdogs.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a big Week 10 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Not only did it stop Tampa Bay’s four-game losing-streak, but it was also the team’s first game at Raymond James Stadium since Week 3.

A grueling 1-4 road stretch had the team at 2-6 before Sunday’s big win. But, if the Bucs want to continue to climb back to .500, they’ll have to take down Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints next Sunday.

New Orleans is coming off a stunning 26-9 home loss in Week 10 to the Atlanta Falcons, and the risk of falling further behind in the NFC playoff picture will have them playing in desperation mode against the Bucs.

Sportsbooks like New Orleans in this one as the Saints have opened up as -5.5 point favorites. It’s the first time the Bucs have been underdogs at Raymond James all season.

Remember, though, Week 5’s loss to the Saints was the start of the Bucs’ four-game skid, so revenge is very much on the mind of this team. I wouldn’t be surprised if this line moves before the game in favor of Tampa Bay.

As the Atlanta Falcons proved, when playing a familiar division foe, records mean nothing.

[Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.]

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Chargers travel to Colorado to prepare for Mexico City battle with Chiefs

After having the weekend off, the Chargers are hitting the road to prepare for next Monday’s matchup against the Chiefs in Mexico City.

After having the weekend off, the Chargers are hitting the road to prepare for next Monday’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs in Mexico City.

The Bolts are traveling to Colorado Springs, Colorado, for a week of practice ahead of the division battle, yet another must-win game in order to stay alive in the playoff race.

The team will have four practices at Air Force Academy in order to acclimate to Mexico City’s altitude. They will be at 6,000 feet above sea level for a few days before being tasked with playing at about 7,200 feet above sea level.

The Chargers don’t do anything like this to get ready for the Denver Broncos, whom they play annually a mile above sea level. But this will be a good trip for L.A. to get away, spend more time together and regroup after a slew of games that got away from them throughout the course of the season.

Sitting at 4-6, Los Angeles will need to be at their best in the final stretch of the season in order to make the playoffs. Realistically, they can’t lose a single game. If they are able to win out, the team would likely capture the AFC West title for the first time since 2009.

It all starts next week against the Chiefs, who have dropped the last four of their six games. Despite the struggles, the Chiefs are still a loaded team on both sides of the ball led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Monday night’s kickoff against Kansas City is slated for 5:15 p.m. PT and will be televised on ESPN.

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Should Ohio State still be ranked at the top of the CFP Rankings this week?

Both Ohio State and LSU will have a case to make when it comes to being ranked No. 1 in the next College Football Playoff Rankings.

After totally dismantling Maryland this past week in a 73-14 win, does it still warrant Ohio State being ranked No. 1 this week in the College Football Playoff rankings? On Saturday Ohio State put up the most points against any Big Ten team since 1950. That — in itself — is quite impressive.

But the Buckeyes weren’t the only team that put on an impressive showing.

With the huge win against Alabama and four top 25 wins, LSU has a good argument to be number one when the rankings come out Tuesday night. The Tigers’ resume that includes high caliber wins  is tough to argue, but it poses the question of what the committee values the most? Pure dominance or wins against ranked opponents? In other words, is it best resume, or most dominant and impressive team via the eye test and metrics?

We digress and discuss …

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Next … LSU’s case

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