Jonathan Allen gives Taylor Heinicke huge endorsement after latest gutsy performance

Does the Washington Football Team have a quarterback controversy?

No, we aren’t calling for Taylor Heinicke’s job. That would be ludicrous amid a four-game winning streak during which he’s played like a top 10 quarterback. We’re speaking more in terms of the future.

If Heinicke keeps up this level of play and leads Washington, which was 2-6 and left for dead after eight games, to the playoffs, how will it resonate in the locker room if the front office trades or drafts a replacement in the offseason?

Our guess is not well, even though Heinicke seemingly doesn’t have the requisite intangibles to lead this team to the promised land.

Why do we say that? That would be Jonathan Allen’s postgame praise of the Old Dominion product after his latest game-winning drive.

https://twitter.com/NBCSWashington/status/1467852759609360389

Washington Football Team DT Jonathan Allen thinks Taylor Heinicke has a bright future.

"“You know, it wasn’t perfect,” Allen told reporters after the game. “We have a lot of mistakes to clean up, but damn when you do something like that, that’s special. I mean, Heinicke, what can you say about him. He just keeps on showing why he needs to be our quarterback.”"

That’s a ringing endorsement from Allen, who’s the undisputed the voice of the locker room and leader of the team.

Heinicke was far from perfect on Sunday and needed some luck to come out on top, but he’s not going to apologize for the Raiders choking on defense in crunch time. We all know how hard it is to win in the NFL and Heinicke has made a habit out of winning games with his team trailing late in the fourth quarter.

That was the most impressive part of his performance. Throwing an interception off your back foot into triple coverage midway through the fourth quarter would drain the confidence of most inexperienced QBs. To make matters worse, the pick led to Las Vegas taking the lead just before the two-minute warning.

Luckily for Washington, Heinicke has the memory of a goldfish, because he was as poised as can be on the game-winning drive, completing 4-of-5 passes for 37 yards to help put the offense in position to kick a field goal.

The win helped Heinicke notch his fourth game-winning drive of the season, good for the second-most in the league.

It helps to have a clutch gene, but Heinicke’s never-quit mentality is a huge reason why he’s won over the locker room (and fan base).

“I love that dude. Man, Heinicke he’s a LITTLE baller,” Cole Holcomb said after the win. “He’s a grinder. Doesn’t matter what happens, he goes out there and slings it. If he throws a pick, he shakes it off and let’s go.”

“I feel like everyone has to have the same mentality when you turn over the ball,” Antonio Gibson added during his presser “Mistakes happen, you just have to make the next play. We need him. He knows that.”

While there’s a debate to be had amongst fans and analysts in regard to whether Heinicke should be the quarterback of the future in Ashburn, Allen and the rest of the locker room clearly think he’s trending in that direction.

At this very moment, we’re hard-pressed to disagree with them.