LANDOVER, Md. – Washington Football Team quarterback Taylor Heinicke did not win the game; however, he won a team, and maybe more.
Heinicke, who started for injured Alex Smith, made arm and leg plays (not enough) in Washington’s 31-23 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Saturday’s playoff wildcard round . Heinicke didn’t get the win, but completed 26 of 44 passes for 306 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also ran to get a score.
And a player who was out of the league for almost two years proved a point.
“I deserve to be in that league a little bit more,” said Heinicke, a pending free agent. “I’ve been on the other side without playing and it’s not fun, or as fun as this one.”
In the process, Heinicke also gained the support of his teammates, and even of a star player from another team. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, represented by the same agency as Heinicke, has tweeted his approval of his performance.
After the game, Washington receiver Terry McLaurin spoke to Heinicke as they left the field. McLaurin just wanted to let her know how much he appreciated her.
“I’ll take my team’s No. 4 any day of the week, twice on Sunday,” McLaurin said. “I hope we will be teammates in the future.
“This guy plays without fear. He’s going to give his players a chance to play. He expands the plays, runs, gets hit. He does everything he asks a quarterback to do in this league. … He gave us a chance . “
Heinicke didn’t know he would start until coach Ron Rivera told him Friday afternoon. However, Washington kept its decision silent until several hours before the game. Smith has been bothered by a tense right calf and, with Tampa Bay known for his defensive pressure, his inability to escape would be too costly.
“We didn’t want to put him in a bad situation,” Rivera said.
He later said, “We were really excited to give [Heinicke] this opportunity “.
Heinicke ran six times for 46 yards and scored in an eight-yard run at the end of the third quarter. In that play, his first three options were covered and his pocket was pinched. Somehow, he stretched under pressure and slipped through an opening in his pocket. He went out to the left side line and went into the end zone, with the ball hitting the pylon. During the process, he suffered a separation of the AC joint in his left shoulder.
“I wanted to get that touchdown,” he said.
In the next series, he was hit hard twice and headed to the side with obvious pain. He then trotted into the locker room but returned without missing any series.
“His grain, his willingness to fight, his willingness to compete,” Washington cornerback Kendall Fuller said when asked what he saw of Heinicke. “It definitely motivated the whole team.”
When Washington called in December, Heinicke was taking four math courses at Old Dominion University. It was the final week; he received permission to pass two of the finals after the season.
Washington liked Heinicke’s knowledge of coordinator Scott Turner’s offensive system, as he had played the same for two years with the Minnesota Vikings and one with the Carolina Panthers. That’s when it got its only start before Saturday. He came out of that game with an elbow injury that later required surgery. Durability has been an issue for the 6-foot 1 and 210-pound Heinicke.
Carolina was released in the last preseason cuts in August 2019 and spent the year out of football. He finally signed with the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL, but did not play in any of his five games. The ending appeared near the 2015 unwritten free agent.
He impressed his Washington teammates.
“The way he behaves, he’s a true professional,” said Morgan Moses, a Washington attacker. “I can’t tell you why he was on the street before we picked him up. He has all the qualities of a player you want. I’m glad we have him. There are no words to explain his performance today. I went up to a great stage and I recommend it for that. “
Moses had seen Heinicke play some in college.
“The guy is an amazing player,” Moses said. “It has this ‘It’ factor and it can’t be taught.”
This “It” factor paid off in the series after Heinicke returned from his injury. He led a 75-yard touchdown with a nice 11-yard pass to Steven Sims Jr., which led him to the corner of the end zone.
“He was brave,” Rivera said. “The young man won a chance.”
Now you will have to wait a while to see if the next one comes up or when.
“Everything that happened over the last month and a half, to go in and do that, I’m proud of myself, happy that the coaches believed in me and gave me the opportunity,” Heinicke said. “I hope to be able to do that next year.”