3 things that will keep Washington fans thankful during holiday season

The Washington Football Team won’t be in uniform on Thanksgiving this year, which is probably a blessing in disguise.

They have an all-time record of 3-8 on the national holiday. Their last win came as recently as last year, when they trounced the Cowboys 41-16, but they’ve lost four of their last six Turkey Day games overall.

Now, fans can kick their feet up and relax. After all, this year’s Thanksgiving slate leaves A LOT to be desired. You have an all-time snoozer in Chicago and Detroit to kick things off, followed by Dallas and Las Vegas, which doesn’t really move the needle, and Saints-Bills to wrap things up in the night cap.

Again, not great, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Since Washington won’t take the field until Sunday, we thought it’d be a good idea to run through a list of things that will help keep fans in Ashburn thankful during the holiday season. A two-game winning streak is worth expressing thanks for at the dinner table, but these three things would really do the trick.

3 things to keep Washington fans thankful

3. Continued consistency from Taylor Heinicke

This one goes without saying, but it’s still worth touching on.

Washington has been on the search for a franchise quarterback for as long as we can remember. Kirk Cousins is probably the last gunslinger to resemble that, but three years as the starter is hardly worth reminiscing over.

Enter Taylor Heinicke, who’s revived the franchise QB conversation with his latest two performances (both wins). While we’re reluctant to reopen that discourse, Heinicke deserves massive credit for silencing his critics.

Over the last two weeks, Heinicke ranks second only to Jimmy Garoppolo — yeah, we’re just as surprised as you are — in passer rating. Only Mac Jones has a higher completion percentage than Heinicke during that stretch. He’s also second in touchdowns (four), and sixth in yards per attempt (8.6)

Simply put, Heinicke is firing on all cylinders right now. His accuracy has taken massive strides compared to earlier in the year, which can be attributed to him sticking in the pocket and stepping into his throws. His decision-making has also improved in spades.

Sure, he holds onto the ball too long and takes killer sacks, but we suppose that’s better than him trying to force a pass into double coverage. If you’ve noticed his turnover-worthy throws have fallen off a cliff of late.

If Heinicke can continue on this trajectory, even if he has the occasional slip up, no team will want to play Washington down the stretch. With Heinicke leading the way, the WFT is a real threat to sneak into the playoffs.