3 wild stats that prove Commanders should continue starting Taylor Heinicke

The Washington Commanders are 3-1 over their last four games following their improbable upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night. The victory should all but confirm Taylor Heinicke starts for the foreseeable future, but Ron Rivera was surprisingly non-committal about naming a starter for Week 11 on Tuesday … before changing course and naming Heinicke the starter on Wednesday.

Heading into Monday night, the consensus was Carson Wentz would reclaim his starting job if Philly won convincingly as double-digit favorites after Heinicke threw a back-breaking interception in the Week 9 loss to the Vikings.

Even if Washington put up a fight with Heinicke, you could’ve argued for the former XFL star keeping the job for another week. The fact the Commanders won and Heinicke executed the game-plan to a tee suggests it’s not even a question Heinicke should start for as long as Washington remains in playoff contention.

Even after the season-changing win, there are some folks who are skeptical about Heinicke leading the team into the second half of the schedule. Here are some mind-bending stats that prove Heinicke should continue starting and Wentz should remain on the sidelines, however.

These stats prove Commanders should continue starting Taylor Heinicke

3. Terry McLaurin’s usage

It’s no surprise the Commanders started winning games the second McLaurin’s usage ramped up. Perhaps the most frustrating part of Wentz’s time under center pre-injury was McLaurin’s lack of volume. It’s been a different story since Heinicke took over, as McLaurin’s been instrument in all three wins during this stretch.

In six games with Wentz, McLaurin managed 22 catches on 37 targets (59.4% catch rate) for 367 yards (16.7 yards per catch) and one touchdown. That averages out to 3.6 catches, 6.2 targets and 61.2 receiving yards per game with the quarterback whom everyone believed before the season would maximize McLaurin’s skillset.

In four games with Heinicke, McLaurin has 24 catches on 36 targets (66.6% catch rate) for 370 yards (15.4 yards per catch). Those numbers equate to 6.0 catches, 9.0 targets and 92.5 yards per game. That’s 2.4 more catches, 2.8 more targets and a whopping 31.3 more receiving yards per game with Heinicke relative to Wentz.

Everyone in Washington knows McLaurin is a top-10 receiver talent. With Heinicke, McLaurin is actually putting up top-10 numbers. It’s not just about the numbers, though. The Commanders play better when McLaurin’s involved, and Heinicke’s done a considerably better job of finding No. 17 than Wentz.