Washington Football Team will start Taylor Heinicke; Alex Smith inactive

Three hours before game time, we finally know what the Washington Football Team is going to do at quarterback.

Since the start of the week, it’s been unclear who the Washington Football Team would start in Saturday night’s playoff contest against the formidable Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Alex Smith returned from his calf injury to help lead Washington to victory in Week 17, but he regressed in the process.

Coaches attempted to help Smith along as the week went on, but it was clear from reports that Smith’s injured calf — belonging to the same leg that required reconstructive surgery — was not actively responding to their rehabilitation techniques. Indications have pointed to Taylor Heinicke getting his first career playoff start, and now, we finally have confirmation.

According to Ben Standig of The Athletic, Smith will be inactive, and Heinicke will start. Presumably, undrafted free agent rookie Steven Montez will be the backup in case Heinicke is unable to complete the game.

Having Smith inactive altogether is somewhat surprising. Washington might have opted to sit Smith in the first half and re-evaluate later, but this decision makes clear that his health is enough of a concern to avoid that course of action. Smith will be inactive, and while his leadership will still be available on the sideline, his smooth execution won’t be.

Of course, turning the keys back to Heinicke wasn’t exactly an unexpected development. Smith hasn’t been great this season from a pure production standpoint, and Heinicke, on the flip side, showed a lot of promise in his short stint against the Panthers.

Granted, the sample size is small, but Heinicke appears to have the athleticism and off-script ability necessary to battle against a tough Buccaneers pass rushing unit. He also impressed Chase Young and other teammates with his poise and resolve on short notice in the Carolina game, and with Smith’s health situation, Heinicke has taken most of the first-team reps this week.

It’s shaping up to be a David vs. Goliath battle in every sense of the word tonight. The 7-9 Washington Football Team takes on the 11-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Previous afterthought vs. preseason favorite. Taylor Heinicke vs. Tom Brady. Will the Old Dominion legend and 27-year old journeyman shock the world and engineer an upset?