LANDOVER, Md. -- The Washington Redskins, a team that has many questions about its front office and coaching staff, can at least feel good about how rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins finished the 2019 NFL season.

Haskins left Washington's 41-35 overtime loss to the New York Giants because of a left ankle injury, but the Redskins loved what they saw before he departed. X-rays at the stadium were negative, but he was diagnosed Monday with a high ankle sprain and was ruled out for the regular-season finale in Dallas.

In his final two games, Haskins completed a combined 31-of-43 for 394 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. On Sunday, he was 12-of-15 for 133 yards and two touchdowns for a career-best 143.2 passer rating.

His confidence has soared.

"Once I get in a rhythm, I'm pretty hard to stop," Haskins said.

Unless, of course, he gets hurt. Haskins was injured on the first play of the second half, when he was sacked after a play-action fake. He was bent back on the sack, with linebacker Markus Golden at his feet and linebacker Lorenzo Carter high on the other side. Haskins eventually limped to the sideline and was then carted to the locker room.

It marked the second time in three weeks Haskins injured an ankle. He suffered what the team termed a mild sprain of his right ankle this month at Green Bay but did not miss any time.

Haskins, though, caused some consternation for the organization after Sunday's game, when he said owner Dan Snyder told him not to return after the injury. A Redskins spokesman later said Snyder told Haskins to listen to the medical team's advice, which -- per a statement from Dr. Robin West -- was to not return. Another source said Snyder often goes to the locker room when a player gets injured and removed on a cart.

"He did come down from the box. He was concerned. That meant a lot to me," Haskins said.

Before he left the game, Haskins did a nice job running the offense. He's far more comfortable than he was when he started for the first time in Week 9 at Buffalo. That showed in his knowledge of where to go with the ball. The Redskins would send a man in motion, forcing the Giants to tip off whether they were playing man or zone. That allowed Haskins to know where to go with the ball immediately. He has been sacked only three times in his past two games, compared to 18 in the previous four.

He also showed a continued ability to extend plays. On a third-and-3 from the Giants' 10-yard line in the first quarter, Haskins was pressured and moved up in the pocket, sliding to his left. He had room to run -- if he wanted. But he kept his eyes up and waited for Steven Sims to create a little separation. Then Haskins threw a dart that Sims caught for a touchdown. A similar scenario last week resulted in a 17-yard completion.

Haskins wants games such as Sunday's to become routine.

"That's what I want to do every game," he said. "I did it in college, and I know college is not the NFL -- the NFL is a much tougher game -- but I was in the rhythm and getting hot."

Backup quarterback Case Keenum, who rallied the Redskins from a two-touchdown deficit, said, "I hated to see Dwayne go down like that. He was absolutely dealing it. He was feeling it. He was seeing the field, going through his reads, getting to his checkdowns and making big plays down the field. It was impressive to see him and how he's progressed."

That's why the Redskins hoped Haskins could finish the season in Dallas next week -- so he could keep building momentum headed into the offseason. However, he'll still have some momentum based on his past two games.

He took greater command of the huddle. He improved with protection calls. He was throwing in rhythm, and that improved his accuracy.

In Haskins' first five outings, including two in relief, he completed 54.6% of his passes for two touchdowns and six interceptions. In his last four, he completed 63.2% with five touchdowns and one interception. He did it while throwing to three rookie receivers in the starting lineup.

Coaches and teammates said Haskins wasn't ready early in the season, but they like the late-season progress they saw.

"Had he started at the beginning, we probably could've caught up and gotten into that groove a lot earlier than we have," running back Chris Thompson said.

"He's getting more comfortable," rookie receiver Terry McLaurin said, "which we love to see."