Washington Football Team: How Taylor Heinicke compares to Kurt Warner, Matt Flynn
In the Wild Card Round of the 2021 NFL playoffs, the Washington Football Team had to turn to their fourth different starting of the season. With Alex Smith out due to a calf injury, Taylor Heinicke was summoned into the fray against one of the NFL’s best defenses.
Heinicke had performed well in relief of Dwayne Haskins earlier in the season against the Panthers. So, there was some hope that he would play well in relief of Smith, but nobody expected Heinicke to play as well as he did.
Heinicke threw for 306 yards, a touchdown, and an interception against the Buccaneers in Washington’s 31-23 loss. He also added a rushing touchdown where he dove over the pylon from a few yards out to keep Washington in the game.
The performance was certainly impressive. After all, Heinicke had only joined Washington midway through the season, yet he helped the team go blow-for-blow with the eventual Super Bowl Champion Buccaneers. Obviously, a close playoff loss isn’t the endgame for Washington, but given the expectations for the season, it was certainly a step in the right direction.
Will Taylor Heinicke quarterback the Washington Football Team in 2021?
That said, the question now surrounding Washington is, who will be their quarterback in 2021? That question may remain unanswered long-term depending on what the team does on the trade market, in free agency, and in the draft, but a segment of Washington fans hoping Heinicke can emerge as a starter moving forward.
It’s hard to evaluate Heinicke based on one and a quarter games in a Washington uniform. Can he be a starter and last as one? That remains unclear. The team obviously has some level of belief in him given that they re-signed him, but what do they believe his ceiling may be?
Heinicke’s unique circumstances are reminiscent of a couple of other quarterbacks from the past 25 years. In some ways, Heinicke’s rise could be similar to that of Kurt Warner. In other ways, his one big game is reminiscent of the one-hit-wonder and career-backup Matt Flynn.
Here’s an in-depth look at how Heinicke compares to these two passers and why Washington was smart in their approach to bringing him back.