Washington's Rivera says Allen will remain starter if healthy

Alex Smith stepped onto the field for the first time in almost two years when quarterback Kyle Allen suffered an injury to his non-throwing arm in Sunday's game, but head coach Ron Rivera says a healthy Allen will remain Washington's starter, according to team reporter Kyle Stackpole.

Allen shouldn't miss any game action as the quarterback is expected to play in Week 6 barring any setbacks, sources told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Washington removed Allen from the contest against the Los Angeles Rams after a helmet-to-helmet hit and he was evaluated for both a concussion and an arm injury.

The signal-caller was later cleared to return but Washington opted to keep Smith under center. Rivera explained the decision was made out of caution for Allen's health.

Ron Rivera said part of why he decided to leave Alex Smith in for the second half, even though Kyle Allen was cleared to return, was because he didn't want Kyle to take another shot and risk greater injury. (He said this post-game, too.)

- Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) October 12, 2020

Neither quarterback sparked Washington's offense as Allen finished 9-of-13 for 74 passing yards while Smith threw for just 37 yards on nine completions.

The position has been a bit of a carousel this season, with Washington benching former first-round pick Dwayne Haskins after just four games.

Haskins wasn't in attendance for Sunday's game due to a stomach virus.

Washington will take on the New York Giants in Week 6.

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