Before Saturday night, Taylor Heinicke was best known for his Old Dominion exploits and his ability to celebrate an XFL victory.
This is no longer the case.
Heinicke made a big effort on Saturday night in a 31-23 wild card loss to Tampa Bay, completing 26 of 44 passes for 306 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and projecting a surprisingly efficient attack on Washington in the second half of the that ended up as a one-score game.
“He took advantage of [the opportunity], did a great job for us, “said Washington coach Ron Rivera.” We were very excited to give him his chance today. “
Without Heinicke, it is fair to imagine whether Washington would have anything more than a punching chance against Tampa Bay. Washington’s normally robust defense struggled to go after Tom Brady and forced a total of just three punts in 12 possessions, losing 31 points in a game that ended up having a higher score than expected. This left Heinicke as the face of Washington’s best chance of victory, and he put together a performance that Rivera called “brave”.
Heinicke surpassed expectations, leading two touchdowns in the second half and another that ended in a field goal to keep Washington in the attack distance until the end. It was only after Tampa Bay increased the pressure later that Heinicke struggled, overcoming an initial interception to put together a game that made assistants light up Twitter with reactions of inspiration and amazement.
Heinicke was calm under pressure, surveying the field and hitting targets at a variety of depths and locations. Washington’s attack went from being a sleepy unit to one with the potential to enter the field and score at any time, all thanks to Heinicke’s composure and surrender.
“He made a lot of plays. He had a lot of posture,” Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said of Heinicke after the game.
Heinicke’s best move came not from his arm, but from his legs, when he escaped from a collapsed pocket, rolled to the left and ran towards the front post, diving and reaching full extension as he reached the ball for the indicator foam plane. Heinicke hit the pillar with the ball, crossing the goal line for a touchdown that had his teammate Chase Young pointing at Heinicke’s nameplate and gesturing towards the camera with a clear message: Remember this name. After the game, Heinicke said that after the dive he played through a separate AC who later saw him leave the game for a brief period after receiving a hit, but returning in the offensive attack that followed.
“They respect the guys who play a lot and give it their all,” said Rivera. “It’s easy to be after a guy like that. And that’s what really happened, those guys were after Taylor. They gathered around him and competed a lot. They really did. I’m really proud of this group of men.”
Heinicke’s future did not appear to be in football after the abrupt closure of the XFL, but when Washington was in need, he called on Heinicke. Former passer Old Dominion and St. Louis BattleHawks delivered, potentially creating new opportunities for himself somewhere in the NFL.
His next destination is yet to be determined, but for one night, he was Washington’s quarterback and playoff holder. And Heinicke did, even in defeat.