It's one of the crazier plays you'll see all year, Taylor Heinicke's 17-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin to pull Washington within two points of the Falcons on Sunday.
The play appeared to be on life support, with Heinicke scrambling for his own life to find an open receiver. And then suddenly, McLaurin re-appeared in the back of the end zone, hand-fighting around a defensive back in single coverage to catch a complete prayer from Heinicke. It gave Washington life with just under four minutes to play.
Heinicke threw a Hail McLaurin pic.twitter.com/WQPEej65vo
— NBCSports Washington (@NBCSWashington) October 3, 2021
It only happened because McLaurin and Heinicke both refused to give up on the play. As the receiver has often said, a play is never dead as long as Heinicke's back there. Those words never rang truer than on Sunday.
"We had a play called to me in that situation and we got man-to-man coverage, which we're very confident in," McLaurin explained the machinations that went into the remarkable throw-and-catch to Grant & Danny on 106.7 The Fan. "It wasn't necessarily the leverage we were looking for, but you have to be able to problem-solve in the game. It may not be the best leverage, but we've got to win against that leverage, is what we talk about in the receiver room."
"So I just wanted to run a good route, leave Taylor enough space to throw me the ball," he said. "Obviously he got some pressure but he evaded 'em like he did. Once me and the DB... he was face-guarding me at that point so I had my eyes on Taylor the whole time. If he was gonna scramble left or right, I was prepared to move with him."
"But when he gave me a chance and we see the ball in the air, I didn't want to give it away too early that the ball was in the air to the DB," McLaurin said. "At the last minute, I kind of moved him out the way a little bit and caught it."
Indeed, by the time the DB realized the ball was in the air, McLaurin had already gained the separation he needed to outstretch and make the grab.
"It was an unbelievable play," McLaurin said. "The O-line did a great job of giving him enough time to be able to evade, and Taylor gave me an opportunity and that's all I've ever wanted and asked for. Plays like that, they may be ugly, but it ended up being six because I feel like we didn't stop until the whistle was blown, and that's what it's all about."
It was a fine day for McLaurin on the whole, with six catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns. But that connection in the fourth quarter — just like the one McLaurin appears to have with his quarterback — that one was special.
