Commanders Rally Behind Backup QB Taylor Heinicke, Upset Aaron Rodgers' Packers

The Washington Commanders pulled out a 23-21 win over the Green Bay Packers. Washington now sits 3-4 as it looks to turn the season around.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 23, 2022

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The Washington Commanders (3-4) are sending their fans home happy after a 23-21 win over the Green Bay Packers (3-4) Sunday afternoon at FedEx Field.

However, it didn't look like the Commanders would pull it out after trailing 14-3 early in the second quarter.

Taylor Heinicke, starting for the injured Carson Wentz, had just one completion and threw a pick-six to Packers linebacker De'Vondre Campbell to make it a two-score deficit.

However, with the season unofficially on the line and in danger of falling to 2-5, Washington responded well with its back against the wall.

The Commanders scored 20 unanswered points, including a pair of touchdown passes from Heinicke (one to running back Antonio Gibson, the other to wide receiver Terry McLaurin) to take a nine-point lead.

The Packers had a chance to come back, as Aaron Rodgers threw his second touchdown pass of the day to running back Aaron Jones and cut the deficit to two points.

The Commanders had to kill clock with 3:26 left to go, and Heinicke found McLaurin to convert a difficult 3rd-and-9 to all but seal the win for Washington.

With the win, Washington has now won two straight games after losing four straight. Things were looking bleak over the past week following the Commanders' underwhelming win against the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football. However, this team can use the win today as a fire up the butt that it needs to return to where it wants to be.

The Commanders are back in action next Sunday on the road against the Indianapolis Colts (3-3-1) at Lucas Oil Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m.

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Published Oct 23, 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.