Washington coach Ron Rivera on the bench Taylor Heinicke to Carson Wentz in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s loss to san francisco, but Rivera said he’s not yet sure if it’s a permanent move. Rivera said he would name a starting quarterback early in the week.
Wentz played the last two series for Washington in a Defeat 37-20 which dropped the Commanders at 7-7-1. They remain in seventh and last place in the playoffs.
Rivera said he would assess the situation, talk to his offensive coaches about it, and then make a decision. Washington hosts Cleveland (6-9) Sunday.
Offensive coordinator Scott Turner said he wouldn’t make an “impulse decision” but used the fourth quarter as a chance to assess Wentz’s play. Rivera also said he didn’t want to see the 49ers “stall” on Heinicke.
“It was an opportunity for us to see where Carson was and he did a good job,” Rivera told reporters after the game. “We are in a pretty good situation now.”
Wentz last played in October. 13 when he broke his right ring finger in a 12-7 win over the chicago bears. He returned to the active matchday roster last week and was close to entering the game in the second half.
Wentz completed 12 of 16 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown in two sets of work.
“We’re all competitors. I’m not going to water it down, we all want to be out there,” Wentz said. “If we lose that in this position, we’ll come out of it very quickly. So that would mean a lot [to start] but it is out of our control. We will both prepare and work hard and nothing will change because of circumstances. What must happen will happen.”
Heinicke said he’s used to being in this situation, always an underdog or on the verge of losing his job, especially in the NFL.
“I’ve heard things like that all my life,” Heinicke said. “I try not to pay attention to it. I control what I control and it comes out and plays as hard as I can and that’s what I feel like I did. If they need to put Carson there -inside, OK. I’ll come to the facility every day, work hard and do my best.”
Heinicke played one of his most effective halves of the season in the first two quarters, completing eight of 11 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. Another drive ended at the 1-yard line when Washington failed to convert a fourth-and-a-goal. He threw a second touchdown pass in the third quarter.
But, in the fourth quarter, Heinicke lost a deep fumble on his own 11-yard line, leading to a 49ers field goal. On the next possession, he was intercepted – this time at the Commanders 25-yard line, resulting in a second field goal and a 27-14 deficit.
“I was pretty stoned and the last two shots were turnovers, so I get it,” Heinicke said. “Carson did a good job.”
Rivera said Heinicke “played pretty well” in the first half and also said that “attributing all the turnovers to him would be difficult. It wasn’t his problems. There were some things we could have done better. “
Still, that was enough for Rivera to make the switch to Wentz. Washington’s offense had moved the ball in Heinicke’s starts — the Commanders were 13th in total yards in his first seven starts. However, they were 25th in the red zone and scoring and 27th on third downs.
Rivera was happy with the way Wentz played.
“He had a good command of what we were doing, he stood straight in the pocket and got the ball out fast a few times and threw some good balls,” Rivera said.
Washington traded two third-round draft picks to Indianapolis and traded second-round picks last April to acquire Wentz. He has a salary cap of $26.7 million in 2023 but no longer has guaranteed money, so Washington could cut it without any financial penalty. But the commanders want to know whether he can be their man in the future or not.
If Wentz starts, he will play in a heavier offense than when he played the first six games. The coaches hope this will lead to more success for Wentz.
“Our ability to run the ball takes a lot of pressure off the quarterback,” Rivera said. “It’s a different unit to the group he played with. There are certain things that show what he can do when he has the ability to stand in the pocket.”
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