Heinicke’s attempting to ignore the ever-growing noise around him originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
One staple of the weekly NFL calendar is the starting quarterback’s midweek press conference. For the Commanders, that session is typically held after the first full day of prep for their upcoming opponent, which meant that Taylor Heinicke spoke to reporters on Tuesday.
While doing so, he tried not to fixate on the possibility that it could be his last presser of the season.
On Monday, Ron Rivera explained that while he’s keeping Heinicke in the lineup for now, he’ll be forced to “think about” benching Heinicke in favor of Carson Wentz if the offense’s scoring problems persist. Those comments could easily be interpreted to mean that Heinicke better flash in San Francisco this weekend or else he may not even make it to the contest’s final whistle.
He’s certainly not thinking that far ahead, though.
“I am going to focus on the game and try and go get a win,” Heinicke said. “If they want to go with Carson, great, I’ll be the best backup I can be. That’s the most I can do. As I said before, I just want to control what I can control. That’s coming here every day and preparing like I am going to start. If my number is called, go out there and give it my best.”
After Heinicke joined the huddle in Week 7, Washington surged. The club’s record improved from 2-4 to 7-5, and while the quarterback’s performance wasn’t the primary or even secondary factor for that run, credit still was given to Heinicke for being clutch and courageous.
The momentum, unfortunately, has since stalled, as the Commanders first tied and then lost to the Giants to drop to 7-6-1. The franchise currently sits in the NFC’s seventh playoff spot, and the upcoming meeting with a fantastic 49ers squad will undoubtedly be an intense one.
In his preparation for the clash, Heinicke’s headspace matches up with the one he found himself in going into Week 10’s upset of the then-undefeated Eagles.
“It’s pretty much the same feeling,” Heinicke said. “Great offense, great defense, we will have to play a really clean game. We are going into a dog fight. This time the playoff implications are a little bit higher. The guys know the task at hand and they’re prepared for it.”
Washington won’t be as heavy an underdog as it was in Philadelphia, but Rivera’s club is certainly expected to lose. That type of situation is where Rivera and Heinicke have turned in some of their top efforts.
As for seventh-round rookie Brock Purdy, who is his Heinicke’s direct counterpart on the Niners, the Commanders signal-caller can appreciate Purdy’s story.
Purdy, like Heinicke, is a shorter player who doesn’t possess an elite arm, blazing speed or other tools that more naturally gifted players own. Even so, Purdy is distributing the ball to his stacked supporting cast and hasn’t yet been flummoxed by life in the pros.
Of course, Heinicke wouldn’t mind that trend ending on Saturday.
“Our defense has got a tough task on their hands,” Heinicke said. “Hopefully he can take a week off and not play as well.”
