3 plays that encapsulated first half of Washington’s season

2. Ryan Fitzpatrick’s injury

What could have been.

We, like most Washington fans, hopped right on the Taylor Heinicke bandwagon after Ryan Fitzpatrick’s injury. After Heinicke’s heroic performance in last year’s Wild Card loss, we were eager to see him given extended run as the starter to see if he had franchise quarterback potential.

In hindsight, though, that was a pipe dream.

Only up until recently did we realize the significance of Fitzpatrick’s hip subluxation. The loss to Buffalo indicated that Heinicke would struggle once teams had film on him, and his limitations have come to light in spades ever since.

Sure, the Old Dominion product has had flashes, but his inability to push the ball downfield and overall lack of precision as a pocket passer have handicapped Washington’s offense, and its weapons, beyond belief.

That makes Fitzpatrick’s injury one of the defining moments. Sure, it probably would have taken him a few weeks to find a rhythm (he was hardly impressive during the preseason), but it would’ve been worth the wait.

In seasons where Fitzpatrick has started at least 10 games, he threw for an average of 18.8 touchdowns. In eight games (seven starts), Heinicke has just 11 touchdowns. That might not look bad on paper, but Washington currently owns the 31st ranked red zone offense in terms of TD percentage.

We’re not saying Fitzpatrick would step in and emulate Joe Theismann, but he’d at least add some cutting edge to the offense. If that doesn’t make his injury one of the defining moments of the year, then what does?

Having said that, it wasn’t enough to nab the top spot.