By Jordan Long
On Sunday, the Washington Commanders beat the Houston Texans 23-10. The win improved Washington’s record to 6-5. Once the game was over, Washington announced their starting quarterback for the rest of the year will be Taylor Heinicke.
Washington began the year with Carson Wentz as their starting quarterback. Wentz was traded in the offseason and was supposed to be the quarterback moving forward. Wentz started 6 games for Washington with a 2-4 record. In those games, Wentz passed for 1,489 yards with 10 touchdowns. Wentz took chances throwing the ball into tight windows where there was coverage and those passes were tipped away for incompletions or intercepted. Wentz tossed 6 interceptions. Wentz was placed on injured reserve after Washington’s week 6 victory over the Chicago Bears.
After week 6, Washington started Tyler Heinicke. Heinicke has been the better quarterback. Washington’s record with Heinicke at quarterback is 4-1. Heinicke has also tossed for 1,031 yards and 5 touchdowns. Heinicke, though, is throwing the ball where it can be intercepted, with a total of 4.
After Sunday’s win, Washington is going to stick with Heinicke as their starter. According to profootballtalk.nbcsports.com, Washington’s Head Coach Ron Rivera said, “We’re gonna go with Taylor. We’ll work with Carson and see where Carson is, as far as whether he’s ready to be the backup.”
This makes a lot of sense. Washington is in a playoff race. They stand at 6-5 and have a chance to earn a playoff spot as a Wild Card team. Heinicke has proven that he is the better option under center than Wentz since Washington has a winning record due to Heinicke’s play.
Wentz is a reasonable option as the backup. He is a veteran quarterback. Not many teams have a potential starting quarterback as their backup. Wentz may only see the field again this year if Heinicke struggles or suffers an injury. The only other way he might see the field is at the end of the year when the last game doesn’t matter. Otherwise, he will be holding the clipboard on the sideline.
Washington is making the best choice for them to earn a playoff spot. Hopefully for them, Heinicke’s play will help them do that. Washington hasn’t made the postseason since 2020 when they were beaten in the Wild Card Round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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