Did Commanders QB Taylor Heinicke Win Starting Job After Victory vs. Eagles?

Taylor Heinicke is 3-1 in games he's started for the Washington Commanders this season, including a massive 32-21 win against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 14, 2022

The Washington Commanders (5-5) are celebrating a massive 32-21 win against the once-undefeated Philadelphia Eagles (8-1) on Monday Night Football. But it's possible nobody is happier than quarterback Taylor Heinicke.

Heinicke, who started his fourth consecutive game to replace the injured quarterback Carson Wentz, has a clause in his contract as the backup that nets him $125,000 for a win in which he played over 60 percent of the offensive snaps. But also, a win against the best team in the NFL should award him the starting job, right?

During the offseason, the Commanders weren't satisfied with Heinicke as the starter. So they traded for Wentz from the Indianapolis Colts and immediately named him QB1. Wentz suffered a thumb injury six games into the season, which has triggered Heinicke's jump into the starting lineup, but will he jump back?

Heinicke's stat line won't jump off the page - 17 of 29 completions for 211 yards, no touchdowns and an interception - but the team has a different energy since he took over for Wentz back in Week 7. The team is 3-1 in his starts as opposed to 2-4 without and the offense has appeared to be in more of a rhythm since taking over.

The decision comes to head coach Ron Rivera, and Heinicke has made it incredibly difficult for him to make a decision.

There's an argument to bring back Wentz since Heinicke hasn't been Kurt Warner-esque, but Heinicke can walk away from this weekend knowing he did all he could to try and snag back the starting job he had all year long.

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Published Nov 14, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.