For Taylor Heinicke, Sunday in Buffalo just might be the most crucial start of his career. This game is a fork in the road for the 28-year-old quarterback: Is he just a journeyman having his moment in the sun or could he be much more?
While last season’s playoff start was a more important game overall, the Week 3 game vs. the Buffalo Bills will be the first time Heinicke plays on the road in the NFL. And Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera sees it as another big test for his quarterback.
“It is important to see how he handles pretty much any situation more so than anything else,” Rivera said during his weekly appearance on The Team 980’s The Kevin Sheehan Show.
“At home, the game’s on the line and you gotta get us into field goal position, which he’s handled and he’s handled well. Down by a couple of scores and you gotta put points up on the board, he does. Start for us in the playoff game against the GOAT, against Tom Brady, and he went toe-to-toe with the guy and gave us a chance to win,” Rivera said on The Team 980. “Yeah, those are all important, but now this is truly, like to your point, Kevin, his first opportunity to start on the road in a hostile environment. This to me, will probably be the last final thing to look at and see if this guy can be able to say this guy really is an NFL dude.”
What does Rivera’s gut tell him about how Heinicke will handle Sunday?
“I think he’ll handle it well,” Rivera said. “You know how we react, how we handle it as a team that’s what I’m really curious and interested in.”
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When asked about Heinikce’s future in the league, Rivera said, “I think he can play, period. There’s no reason for him not to based on the things he’s done.”
A bonafide week in, week out NFL starting QB? “I think he can be that kinda guy,” Rivera told The Team 980. “Like I said, this week will be a real good indicator as to how far, what is his ceiling, what is he potentially capable of.”
However, when asked by Sheehan if that means Heinicke will be that guy for Washington moving forward, Rivera answered, “Well, we’ll see. That’s why we play ‘em, Kevin, to find things out.”
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