3 causes for concern from Commanders’ Week 12 win over the Falcons

2. Taylor Heinicke’s decision-making

A quarterback’s (poor) decision-making would be a No. 1 concern for most teams, but fans basically know what they’re getting from Heinicke. If we were talking about Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow, this would be a different conversation.

Outside of the Commanders’ opening drive, Heinicke struggled moving the ball through the air. More worrying, though, was the normally-composed quarterback tried fitting passes into windows that his arm just can’t make.

Between Heinicke’s reckless shuffle pass in the first half and his interception, which he threw into quadruple coverage when Curtis Samuel and Antonio Gibson were wide open over the middle, Heinicke’s performance was very alarming. The sideline pass to Terry McLaurin that was nearly picked off is another example.

With Carson Wentz back practicing following finger surgery, Heinicke’s margin for error is thinner than ever entering Week 13.

The Commanders won’t be able to drain the clock by running the football every week. Better teams than Houston and Atlanta will force Heinicke to make a dagger throw. On Sunday, the beloved QB never looked like he was capable of making that play, which is odd given he’s normally nails in the clutch.