The Washington Redskins fell to the Cincinnati Bengals by a final score of 23-13 in their second preseason game of 2019. Although they took the loss, there are much more important things to look at when it comes to the preseason.

A lot has happened in two weeks, and the Redskins are now getting closer and closer to the regular season. There are still some things to figure out and a few questions to be answered though.

Some questions were answered on Thursday, while new ones were created. What exactly were the biggest storylines though? Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Washington Redskins preseason week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Defense is Legit

How good did that first-team defense look? More specifically, how good did that front seven look? Even more specifically, how good did that defensive line look?

The Washington Redskins are pretty loaded when it comes to defense. No matter what you think of him, Josh Norman is still a very good cornerback in the NFL. Meanwhile, safety Landon Collins was a fantastic signing that helps solidify the secondary.

Then there’s the linebackers. The interior isn’t perfect, but Jon Bostic is very solid. Meanwhile, Ryan Kerrigan and Montez Sweat is a cheat code on the outside.

The star attraction is the defensive line though. Matthew Ioannidis has gotten better and better each year and has surprised a lot of people by becoming a legitimately great defensive end. Meanwhile, Jonathan Allen is a star at defensive end and Da’Ron Payne is already a monster after one year and truly could be a superstar.

Even Tim Settle is a beast. Although he doesn’t get much time, he’s still just 22 and has all the physical tools to succeed at defensive tackle. Add him into the mix and things are just completely unfair for opposing offenses.

The line showed that a lot on Thursday, stopping runs before they ever got going and creating issues for the quarterback. The main example of this was Payne tipping a pass from Andy Dalton, that led to an interception by Monte Nicholson (who took it back for a touchdown).

Dwayne Haskins is Legit (and Getting Closer)

Dwayne Haskins has talent. Anyone with eyes could tell you that. However, that talent doesn’t always translate to the NFL. Even if it does, it could take a while to do so for someone as raw as Haskins.

The quarterback showed a major sign of moving forward with a pass that seasoned veterans would be happy to make. With the pocket collapsing around him, Haskins didn’t panic. He simply stood his ground and right before being wrapped up he tossed a beautiful pass down the field to Robert Davis.

The play ended in a 55-yard touchdown.

Haskins showed that he won’t fold to the pressure and panic. He also showed that he has incredible arm talent that will translate to the NFL.

Through two weeks, he’s done a lot to get fans of the Washington Redskins excited. While there are still clearly steps he needs to take, Haskins has shown he’s got the talent – and he’s getting closer to being ready to start in the NFL.

Special Teams Needs to Figure it Out

In Week 1 of the preseason, the Washington Redskins gave up a punt return for a touchdown. Things somehow got all types of worse in week 2 of the preseason.

Once again, the Redskins gave up a punt return for a touchdown. They also missed an extra point and a field goal. That’s a whole lot of bad things going on for one unit.

What’s most baffling about this is they have one of the best punters in the NFL in Tress Way. He tends to really get the ball deep and put some air under it, but the punt team can’t seem to bring down the returner.

This feels like it’s been an issue with the Redskins for years. They always have some sort of special teams problem and this could get ugly if they don’t figure things out.

Obviously, the Washington Redskins won’t be giving up punt returns for touchdowns every week. Big plays are happening way too often and could cost them some games though. The rest of the special teams needs to figure it out as well.