Terry McLaurin's last catch in Indy was one of his best grabs yet originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Nine plays, 89 yards, two minutes and 17 seconds. Those are the numbers behind the drive that could represent a turning point in Washington’s 2022 campaign.
But one of those nine snaps stood out in particular.
Down 16-10 to the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, Taylor Heinicke — who earlier in the fourth quarter threw a crushing interception — did what he does when he absolutely needs a completion: target Terry McLaurin.
The result? A clutch 33-yard gain that set up a Heinicke quarterback sneak and go-ahead extra point — and one that may also represent a turning point in his club’s 2022 campaign.
“Terry wasn’t going to be denied,” Ron Rivera told reporters afterward. “I really did believe he was going to get it.”
“I had a lot of confidence I was going to come down with that ball,” McLaurin, an Indianapolis native who had droves of family and friends in attendance, said.
That confidence hasn’t always been there for McLaurin, who explained that contested-catch situations were once a weakness of his. But he thrived on them in 2021 and, in Week 8, managed to come up with yet another gem (while blanketed by a former All-Pro in Stephon Gilmore, no less).
“The guy’s a treasure,” Heinicke said in his presser. “I’m very happy that he’s on our team.”
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Before that deciding possession, it appeared as if the visitors were going to drop a very winnable contest versus a Sam Ehlinger-led Indy club. Heinicke’s pick allowed Ehlinger’s offense to ultimately score its lone touchdown of the contest and go up 16-7.
Heinicke and his group, though, put Joey Slye in position for a field goal to cut the deficit to six points on their next trip out onto the field. The Commanders’ defense then forced a timely three-and-out to give Heinicke, McLaurin and the rest of that unit an opportunity to put a largely forgettable outing behind them by coming up huge with less than three minutes to go.
McLaurin’s strong and acrobatic grab soon followed.
“I’m going to get a lot of attention, the accolades,” McLaurin said. “It was a great team win. It’s not over ’til it’s over. We played four quarters of football.”
The ever-bashful McLaurin may have tried to personally redirect the glory for his reception elsewhere, but others on his squad were more than happy to send it his way regardless.
“Terry’s that dude,” Heinicke said. “I want to continue to give him a chance to make big plays.”
“He’s done it numerous times,” Cam Sims said.
Those directly associated with Washington weren’t the only ones who made sure to appreciate McLaurin in Indianapolis, however.
McLaurin shared that Colts legend Marvin Harrison approached him before kickoff and asked for a picture of the two of them. McLaurin was quite taken aback by the request, considering that Harrison was his idol growing up. McLaurin even dressed as Harrison for multiple Halloweens.
“Me?” McLaurin’s first thought was, he recalled.
While that may have been an unbelievable exchange for McLaurin himself, it’s honestly not all that surprising to hear that a Hall of Famer wanted to do a meet-and-greet with him.
McLaurin is a special player in his own right, after all, and on Sunday, he produced one of the most memorable moments from his already sterling career.
