We know the Washington Commanders love quarterback Taylor Heinicke. Star wide receiver Terry McLaurin always goes out of his way to praise Heinicke. McLaurin admires Heinicke because he plays every game like it’s his last — every play like it’s his last.
Heinicke’s physical limitations are noted. He doesn’t have Carson Wentz’s arm strength, and his height is generously listed as 6-foot-1. Yet, much of what Heinicke does defies logic.
Speaking of defying logic, check out this statistic.
This is wild.
Commanders dropped passes in Carson Wentz's six games: 13
Commanders dropped passes in Taylor Heinicke's five games: 0
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) November 21, 2022
We told you some things just defy logic. There’s nothing behind this stat. It’s not like Washington’s receivers are dropping the football because they don’t like Wentz. They like Wentz. It’s just a quirky stat. The Commanders, as a team, have been playing much better over the last several weeks.
As Washington’s starting quarterback this season, Heinicke has led the Commanders to a 4-1 record. During Wentz’s six starts before his injury, Washington was 2-4.
Look, we all know QB wins is not a reliable stat. So much more goes into quarterback play than wins and losses. But don’t tell head coaches that. If a team is winning with a certain quarterback, like the Commanders are with Heinicke, you stick with that guy.
As far as the dropped passes, like most things, it will even out. So will Heinicke’s luck if he keeps forcing balls into traffic. For instance, Houston safety Jalen Pitre should have had an interception on Heinicke’s first pass Sunday. Then, there is that crazy pass into triple coverage where Heinicke received an assist from the official in Week 9.
One thing that doesn’t defy logic is Heinicke’s knowledge of the offseason. The offense runs more smoothly with him under center than it did with Wentz. But in fairness to Wentz, he only had six starts.
Heinicke and the Commanders face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 12.
