Sam's Film Room: Should Taylor Heinicke start in Washington?

Look, we’ve all seen the movies. The stories where the complete unknown takes on the best player on the field and somehow comes out on top. While this David and Goliath story didn’t end the way we all wished, what we saw in the wildcard round of the playoffs was something special. Taylor Heinicke, who was a former undrafted free agent, absolutely killed it in his first start in Washington. He almost out-dueled Tom Brady, who is the greatest quarterback of all time.

I was very impressed by what I saw on film. Heinicke was incredibly accurate and if his receivers didn’t drop five passes, he would have led the entire wild card quarterbacks in completion percentage over expectation. He was that good in this game. Taylor Heinicke threw with anticipation. He can run all phases of the offense including quick game, run-pass options, and play-action. His lone interception was a tipped pass. And his ability to scramble and use his legs to avoid pressure while making plays off-script was really impressive. Hopefully this performance isn’t a one-time thing and that Washington gives Heinicke a legitimate shot to start next summer.