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The Washington Redskins were routed by the New England Patriots by a score of 33-7 on Sunday afternoon, dropping them to 0-5 on the season.
With that loss, the Redskins joined the Cincinnati Bengals as the only 0-5 teams in the NFL, with the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets both sporting 0-4 records.
The defeat also carried heavier ramifications, as it resulted in the firing of head coach Jay Gruden, who had been at the helm since 2014.
So, what's next for Washington?
The problem for the Redskins is that it's not like they are in a New York Giants-like slump in that they have only been struggling for the past several years (and the Giants appear to be working their way out of it).
No; Washington has been a bad NFL franchise since the mid '90s, as it has only made five playoff appearances since 1993, and it has only advanced past the Wild Card Round once during that span.
The Redskins have consistently been the worst team in the NFC East for quite some time, and with the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles vying for the crown this year and with the Giants seeming to be a squad on the rise, it doesn't appear that's going to change any time soon.
Of course, there are some adjustments Washington can make, and the first one is starting Dwayne Haskins.
It was blatantly obvious that Gruden was not enamored with Haskins, as he did not even want to draft the quarterback in the first place. But now that Gruden is gone, the door should be open for the rookie to step in and start, particularly after a disastrous outing from Colt McCoy on Sunday.
That's step one.
But after that, well, things get a bit trickier.
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Quarterback is not the only area where the Redskins need help. They basically need help everywhere. Running back. Wide receiver. Offensive line. Defense.
You name it, and Washington probably needs it.
As a result, Haskins is not going to solve all of the Redskins' issues even if he does perform well. He still needs weapons to throw to, and he needs protection up front. He also needs his defense to not get shredded.
Bad drafting and bad free-agent decisions have put Washington in this position. It's why the Redskins have been a laughing stock for the better part of the last two decades.
We can blame Gruden as much as we want, but the fact of the matter is that these problems existed long before Gruden got there.
Obviously, having a franchise quarterback is a pretty big hole to fill, so if Haskins is that guy, then great. But even if he is, he may not last long on what is a horrific Redskins offense that is only averaging more points than the Jets and Dolphins.
Firing Gruden was something that had to be done. He was largely unsuccessful during his time as head coach, and it's clear that his vision is not the same as that of the front office when it comes to Haskins and the club moving forward.
But Gruden was only one small fish in a very large sea of issues that have plagued Washington since 1993, and if the Redskins want to change things, they need to get smarter.
