Washington Football Team, Taylor Heinicke fight hard in loss to Buccaneers

The Washington Football Team and Taylor Heinicke fought hard but their season ended in a loss to the Buccaneers.

With Alex Smith out due to a calf injury, the Washington Football Team fought hard and rallied behind Taylor Heinicke. The fourth different quarterback to start for Washington this season wasn’t supposed to be able to keep the team competitive with the juggernaut Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he did everything he could to make this happen.

At the end of the day, it wasn’t quite enough, as the Bucs won 31-23. But the effort and grit Washington — and in particular, Heinicke — showed in this game was incredible and reflects the excellent, positive culture of this Ron Rivera-led team.

Early on, it looked like Washington was in jeopardy of getting blown out. In the first half, it was, surprisingly, the team’s offense outplayed their defense. Heinicke certainly came to play, and his passing performance was sharp in the half. He made some nice, on-target throws downfield and his mobility was a big plus for Washington.

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Unfortunately, Heinicke’s receivers let him down in the early stages of this contest. Cam Sims and Steven Sims both had some tough drops that caused Washington’s drives to stall, and Heinicke did have an interception off a tipped pass that was more of a good defensive play than anything else. He also was victimized by a missed defensive pass interference call on a drive that almost certainly would’ve ended in points had the penalty been called.

Meanwhile, on the defensive side, the team had trouble containing Tom Brady and his receiving weapons. They got pressure on him during a couple of drives, but for most of the half, Chase Young and Co. couldn’t put the heat on Brady. That let him wait for his top targets to get open, and Washington busted a couple of coverages on Antonio Brown and Chris Godwin that led to touchdowns.

That said, Washington did enough to keep themselves in the game. They held Tampa Bay to field goals in the red-zone twice and blocked an extra point. That turned into a nine-point swing and kept Brady and the Bucs from running away with things.

Then, in the second half, as they have so often done this season, the Washington Football Team showed up in earnest. They turned it into a true battle and Heinicke went blow-for-blow with Tom Brady.

Heinicke was extremely impressive in this game. He burst onto the scene with his performance and led the Washington Football Team on two scoring drives to start the half. He also produced the highlight of the game when he avoided a sack and scrambled for a score after went airborne to hit the pylon and get in.

Here’s a look at the play via the NFL’s official Twitter account.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1348111005725847554

Heinicke was the star of the game and even played through a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter. He finished the game 26-of-44 for 306 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.

Meanwhile, the defense showed up and limited Brady’s Bucs early, and forced a three-and-out on their first defensive drive of the half. They did their part in keeping the game close, but ultimately, they faltered in the fourth quarter, as they struggled to stop the run and couldn’t get enough consistent pressure on Brady to make a difference.

Still, this was an encouraging game from Washington. They were starting their fourth quarterback of the year, yet they were in the game late. They nearly tied it on a two-point conversion attempt in the third quarter and cut the Bucs lead to five with under five minutes left.

Sure, their defense didn’t play as well as many were hoping, but they gained some needed playoff experience and should be better for it. They also were good in the red-zone and limited the Bucs to field goals on numerous occasions. Daron Payne (two sacks, forced fumble) was a force in the contest, especially in the second half, so his performance is a good sign as he continues to improve.

This isn’t how any Washington fan wanted this season to end, but they were playing with house money. They are certainly ahead of schedule in their rebuild and their ability to compete with the Buccaneers in this contest proves that.

And hey, they did have a chance to go on a game-tying drive late. They couldn’t quite do it, but being there is a massive step forward for the team.

Next. Taylor Heinicke's chance to be an unlikely hero. dark

We’ll see what the team does this offseason to bolster their weaknesses and improve. But what we can definitively say now, after that game and season, is that under Rivera, Washington’s future is bright.

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