Commanders vs. Colts Notebook: 3 Observations After Washington's Big Win

The Washington Commanders squeaked out a late win against the Indianapolis Colts on the back of Taylor Heinicke and Terry McLaurin. Here's some observations from today's win.

The Washington Commanders are winners once again after a dramatic 17-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

The win puts the Commanders back at .500 and puts them in a tie with the San Francisco 49ers for the final playoff spot in the NFC. 

Here's three observations from today's win against the Colts ...

Taylor The Truth

The closest comparison I have for what Taylor Heinicke has done in his career is what Tim Tebow did in 2011 with the Denver Broncos. That's the level Heinicke is on.

With 12:23 left in the fourth quarter, Heinicke started off a potential go-ahead drive with an interception on the first play. At that point in the game, Heinicke completed 12 of 14 passes for 154 yards, meaning he had over half of his passing yards on the final two drives of the game.

And it's not the first time he's done something like this. Last year, Heinicke had three fourth-quarter comebacks and four game-winning drives in the final frame. By repeating that magic today, Heinicke has Washington refocused towards its second playoff berth in three years.

Scary Terry Reigns True on Halloweekend

They don't call him Scary Terry for nothing, and he proved that on the spookiest weekend of the year.

McLaurin played his first NFL game at Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday, the venue where he and his dad had season tickets to watch Peyton Manning and those successful Colts teams as a kid. Today, he killed the dreams of many young and old Colts fans.

McLaurin led the Commanders with six catches for 113 yards, none bigger than his last one on the final drive to put Washington just outside the end zone.

Terry McLaurin. Incredible. pic.twitter.com/qfSl3hKe6h

— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) October 30, 2022

This renaissance we're experiencing with McLaurin and his reunion with Heinicke is pulling the Commanders out of the doldrums and giving them a shot back into relevancy this season.

Defense Does Its Job

The offense won the Commanders the game, but it would never have been the case without the defense who made the comeback manageable.

Allowing just six points in the first three quarters, the defense spoiled Sam Ehlinger's first start. The two biggest plays came on turnovers, both fumbles forced by the Washington defense.

In the first half, the Colts were inside the red zone looking to sneak in a lead just before halftime, but Daron Payne's recovery shifted the momentum back into the Commanders' favor.

Then, in the second half, two plays after giving up a 47-yard catch to Alec Pierce, the Commanders forced a fumble out of Jonathan Taylor. Safety Darrick Forrest forced the fumble and defensive end Casey Toohill recovered it to keep the lead for the Commanders.

DFoe with the strip, Casey Toohill with the recovery 😤 pic.twitter.com/BWmHtyXOXB

— NBC Sports Commanders (@NBCSCommanders) October 30, 2022

In a one-point game, every play counts, and without those two plays, Heinicke wouldn't have been able to sprinkle his magic dust. And in a game as crucial as this one in the middle of the season, we'd be having a very different conversation about the Commanders if this was a loss instead of a win.

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The Commanders will go for their fourth straight win next week as the Minnesota Vikings come to town. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at FedEx Field.

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You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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