From XFL backup to NFL playoff starter, Taylor Heinicke shocked the world by bringing the Washington Football Team to the brink of an upset over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa ended up winning 31-23, but Heinicke was far from the reason Washington came up short.
In just his second career NFL start, Heinicke delivered the best all-around performance from a Washington quarterback in over three years. Heinicke went 26/44 for 306 passing yards with a touchdown and interception. The 27-year-old undrafted Old Dominion product added 46 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown that required his best Superman impression.
Washington was the underdog coming in, but when the news arrived that Alex Smith wouldn’t make the start due to his nagging calf injury, nearly all hope was lost. Putting all your faith in a quarterback making just his second career start in a playoff game against Tom Brady was a harrowing thought. And yet Heinicke rose to the occasion, giving Washington its only chance of victory.
Tampa focused on stopping the run, taking breakout rookie running back Antonio Gibson out of the equation almost entirely. Even though Gibson has been dealing with turf toe for over a month, Tampa prevented Washington from getting anything on the ground. Gibson finished the night with just 31 yards on 14 carries, while JD McKissic had five yards on two carries, although two of those yards came while punching in the team’s first touchdown of the game.
Tampa already boasts the best run defense in the league, so their intense focus on stopping the run meant Heinicke was left to try and beat Tampa all by himself. Well maybe not all by himself, since Washington’s defense could have done their part and stopped the Tampa offense.
With Brady at the helm, the Bucs offense ultimately overpowered the Washington defense, even after putting up a handful of impressive stops throughout the game. Tampa has a terrific offensive line which kept Brady untouched for most of the night. There were multiple instances of holding that should have been called, but holding penalty calls have been down across the league this year, so that could have been accounted for coming in.
That said, it’s hard to imagine the league would have wanted the Heinicke-led 7-9 team to knock out “Tompa Bay” in the Wild Card round. I’m not much of a conspiracy theorist, and the Bucs are the more talented team, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say the officials were more partial to Tampa. That’s not an excuse for losing, but it certainly made the mountain even higher for Heinicke to climb.
But man, did he nearly crest it. With everything going against Washington in this game, losing by only eight points is nothing to sneeze at, especially when looking at the alternative.
If Smith had started the game, it would have been over by halftime at the latest. I hate to say that about Smith given everything he did to get Washington to this position and his incredible comeback story, but actually having a mobile quarterback that could comfortably throw the ball more than 10 yards downfield made the offense look unrecognizable in the best possible way.
While Heinicke deserves all the praise and recognition for his performance, I’m not quite on the “2021 starter” bandwagon that much of the fanbase jumped on. Seeing the best WFT quarterback performance since 2017 was intoxicating, but let’s pump the brakes here.
I’m all for bringing Heinicke into training camp and letting him compete for the spot, but if an overzealous team gives him the Matt Flynn-treatment and throws him a sizable offer in free agency, I wouldn’t feel comfortable getting in on a bidding war. Maybe he can be a legit full-time starter in this league, and for the right money, I’d love to see him give it a shot in Burgundy & Gold. Let’s just not go crazy and peg him as the full-fledged starter in 2021 with the money to match it.
The most likely scenario is that he will spend the next eight years — give or take — as a trusted backup around the league, and that’s terrific for him. He has the chance to make a ton of money without putting his body at significant risk.
Whether or not Heinicke will be in the quarterback mix in 2021, he gave this team plenty to be excited about beyond a potential playoff victory. Quarterback play was by far the worst part about the team this year, and Heinicke provided a glimpse at where good production under center can take this team.
This offense could use another reliable pass-catcher or two, and the offensive line would benefit from an upgrade on the left side (but shout out to Cornelius Lucas and Wes Schweitzer for holding down the fort this year; both deserve major props), but if this team can finally solve the quarterback situation, Washington has real potential to reach greater heights.
As long as Dan Snyder is owning the team, I’m not so confident they will get there, but if he can for once keep his hands off football operations — or the league gives him the Jerry Richardson treatment — then the Football Team may have a shot.
I don’t know what to expect at quarterback in 2021; what I do know is I will hereby refer to Lamar Jackson as “Taylor Heinicke Lite.” I hope we can feel this electricity in 2021 and beyond:
Cover Photo Credit: Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports
The Wildcard 