With the upcoming bye week to install changes, Ron Rivera will be sticking with the quarterback who largely engineered the Washington Football Team's 2-6 start to the season.
Rivera said on Monday that he'll be sticking with Heinicke as his starting quarterback coming out of the Week 9 bye.
"I think we um, based on a lot of things that he's done the last few weeks, yeah, I think that he's being productive for the most part," Rivera said. "There's one area we've got to get better on, obviously, and it's kind of stood out the last few weeks, is we've got to get better in [the] red zone. Again, we've got to come down and, when we get chances to make plays down there, we've got make those plays."
As Washington has fallen to 2-6 amidst four consecutive losses, Rivera has shifted his stance on the season, reciting with increasing frequency that the team is rebuilding. Washington hosts Tampa Bay (6-2) coming out of its bye week. Rivera says Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was injured in Week 1, is scheduled for another MRI next week.
"So once we figure out what's happening there, we'll go from there," he said.
With that uncertainty looming, Rivera reaffirming his commitment to Heinicke could perhaps be a sign that he has no near plans for Fitzpatrick, who signed a one-year deal with Washington, to return to the lineup in what is increasingly becoming a lost season. Better to be absolutely certain what he has in Heinicke?
"The one thing right now that really is probably the hardest thing for us to figure out is, do we have a franchise quarterback right now?" Rivera said. "Is that guy on our roster, or is that guy going to be in free agency? Is that guy going to be in the draft next year? So, we've got to continue to work with what we have."
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