5 Commanders reality checks for must-win Week 16 game at San Francisco
By Tim Payne
3. The Reality Is, Taylor Heinicke isn’t really escaping the pocket.
Typically, we think of Taylor Heinicke as very mobile and sneaky good at escaping pressure, but the past few games, in particular the two against New York, he’s been anything but. He’s fumbled four times, losing three of them over that two-game span, and has taken right sacks during that time as well.
If he hopes to stave off a trip back to the bench, he’s going to have to revert to his older form of getting the ball out of his hands to avoid pressure. His inability to escape pressure combined with his natural penchant to hold onto the ball in hopes of hitting bigger plays is, dare I say, Wentz-like…and if he’s going to perform in those areas just like Wentz, it’s not hard to see why Rivera continues to hint that Wentz very likely could see the field sooner rather than later.
Heinicke continues to be approximately 1.5 bad quarters away from losing his starting job again, and while it’s very unfair to judge a quarterback based off his performance against the best defense in the league, Heinicke’s poor performances the last three games has left him with almost zero leash remaining.
Look for Rivera to have a quick hook if Heinicke shows signs of hesitation in his reads and decision-making in the pocket early on Saturday in San Fransisco.