Taylor Heinicke may not have a rocket for an arm or the prototypical body type for an NFL quarterback, and yet that hasn't stopped him from appearing like he belongs.
He's made the most of his limited opportunities, which in Washington includes: standing toe-to-toe with Tom Brady in the playoffs, giving the greatest quarterback of all time his toughest test of Tampa's entire Super Bowl run; and now, defeating a division rival in the New York Giants, Heinicke's first start of the 2021 season.
So how has Heinicke, who's laughably listed at 6-foot-1, managed to overcome so many limiting physical shortcomings?
"He's always ready for his moment," Terry McLaurin said after Washington's 30-29 victory Thursday night, "and I love guys who are always ready for their moment, always prepared. He doesn't complain about the reps he gets in practice, even when he wasn't the starter. He just makes the most of his opportunities. That's all you can ask for."
McLaurin himself was key to Heinicke's success against the Giants. After being targeted only four times in their season-opening loss to the Chargers, Washington's top receiving threat saw far more action Thursday night. Heinicke targeted McLaurin 14 times against the Giants, with the two connecting on 11 of those opportunities, resulting in 107 receiving yards and one touchdown for McLaurin.
Overall, Heinicke delivered consistently throughout the game, completing 34 of 46 passes (73.9%) for 336 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, keeping Washington afloat as its typically stalwart defense sank to the bottom of the ocean.
"He did a great job controlling the tempo tonight," McLaurin said of Heinicke. "He got us into hurry-up situations. He slowed it down. He made great passes. He took what the defense gave him and he just gave playmakers chances to make plays, and when you've got a guy like that, you just want to continue to make plays for him."
"We're lucky to have Taylor and I know he's just gonna continue to grow and help us going forward," he said.
