How did we get here? How in this wild time did the Washington Football Team end up starting the former back-up quarterback of the now-defunct XFL's St. Louis BattleHawks in an NFL Wild Card round against Tom Brady?
For fans of the Washington Football Team, imagine this, think back to September 2020. Now, what if I told you… Washington would sweep the Dallas Cowboys, sweep the Philadelphia Eagles, win the NFC East in Week 17 at 7-9 and host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the playoffs.
Oh, and Washington’s starting quarterback would be Taylor Heinicke. Seriously.
Surprised? You should be. Here is the wild sequence of events that led to this highly improbable moment:
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Dwayne Haskins was the Week 1 starter for Washington. He went 1-3 before head coach Ron Rivera benched him for Kyle Allen. But Allen’s first start lasted a half before he was injured and Alex Smith made his NFL return after nearly two years on the sideline.
But Rivera stuck with Allen as the starter for three more games before Allen suffered a gruesome leg injury which ended his season and Smith was named Washington’s starter with the team at 2-6.
After losing his first start in Detroit, Smith took Washington on a four-game winning steak. But in the fourth game against San Francisco (a game being played in Arizona due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Smith sustained a right calf injury and Haskins, who wasn't traded in the middle of the season despite many rumors, became Washington’s starter once again. (That would be the calf for the same leg Smith broke in 2018.)
After Haskins’ first start of his second-stint in Week 15, he was seen partying without a mask with several women, breaking the league's COVID-19 protocols. Rivera decided to start Haskins in Week 16, but he was ineffective and benched in the 4th quarter for Heinicke, who Washington signed a few weeks earlier to the practice squad to be the team's quarantine quarterback.
Rivera then released Haskins the day after Washington lost to the Panthers.
Smith returned to the starting lineup in Week 17 and, despite struggling, helped Washington win the division with a 20-14 win in Philadelphia.
Unfortunately, for Smith, his calf injury lingered and he was inactive for the Wild Card round game against Tampa Bay. Just a devastating end to his long, improbable return to the NFL after a horrific injury: An NFC East title, but no reward of playing in the playoffs.
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Washington’s active quarterbacks vs. Brady in the Wild Card round: Heinicke will start, just 32 days after signing for Washington, and rookie Steven Montez, who has never taken a snap in the NFL, will be the back-up.
In the playoffs, Heinicke will make his first start in Washington. He has completed just 12 passes for 137 yards and thrown one touchdown during the regular season. He's thrown just 77 passes total in his NFL career.
The fall for Haskins becomes even that more spectacular. Washington drafted him with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2019 draft, he played just 16 games, was released as the team neared a playoff berth due to a combination of on-field ineffectiveness and off-the-field issues. Haskins could have been starting a playoff game for Washington instead of being unemployed.
Earlier Saturday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the free agent Haskins will visit the Carolina Panthers on Monday morning.
Put another way Haskins’ time in Washington (613 days) was less than the time Smith was out after he suffered a life-threatening injury (693 days).
A penny for Haskins’ thoughts?
Just another weird moment in the history of the Washington Football Team.
Update: Washington fell to the Buccaneers, 31-23, Taylor Heinicke put on an incredible performance.
Heinicke threw for 306 yards on 26-of-44 passing with one touchdown and one interception. And he was Washington's leading rusher with 46 yards on six carries and a touchdown.
And a great throw to Steven Sims.
Follow @BenKrimmel for the latest.
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