Week 13 Reality Checks: Washington at Las Vegas
By Tim Payne
5. The Reality Is, Taylor Heinicke has earned the benefit of the doubt.
Heinicke’s last 3 starts have earned him a lot of money. He’s all-but-guaranteed himself a long career in the NFL. But it’s done more than that. It’s earned him the right not to be doubted in the closing stretch of the season. He may perform brilliantly. He may struggle. He may be extremely “meh”, but expectations should now reasonably be that he’ll operate at a competent starting quarterback level, that the stage isn’t too big for him, that he’ll give the team a chance to win every game he starts.
That is a far cry from his sister’s couch last December. We’re past the point of expecting Taylor’s performance to fall off. We’re past the point of hoping he can make enough plays to make up for his mistakes. We’re past the point of thinking Kyle Allen should be getting a chance to start over him. It’s Heinicke’s job. It’s Heinicke’s opportunity to force Washington to consider him a viable option for the future. Could he tank? Could the magic wear off? Sure? But it’s nice to be past the point of expecting it.