Heinicke, Commanders overcome early struggles for strong win originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
LANDOVER, Md. -- Things looked bleak early, but often a fit in the underdog role Commanders QB Taylor Heinicke came all the way back in a 23-21 victory.
Washington struggled mightily in the first half, getting down 14-3 but eventually climbing back in thanks to a strong third quarter where two long drives flipped the game entirely. Washington held possession nearly the entire third period and took a 20-14 lead thanks in large part to a beautiful 37-yard touchdown pass from Heinicke to wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
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Ron Rivera's team added to that total in the fourth quarter with a Joey Slye 19-yard field goal.
Defensively the Commanders played stout the entire game. The Packers run game was largely invisible and all-world QB Aaron Rodgers had just 103 passing yards deep into the fourth quarter before the game tightened after his 21-yard touchdown pass with 3:26 to go.
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It was ugly, often, but Heinicke's critical third-down pass to McLaurin just before the 2-minute warning for 12 yards while being knocked to the ground sealed a much-needed win. And all of a sudden Washington is on a two-game win streak and just one game under .500 at 3-4 with the very average Indianapolis Colts (3-3-1) on deck. Buckle up.
Stock Up
- Terry McLaurin - The fourth-year wideout caught his first TD since Week 1 but more importantly was a huge part of the offense. He was targeted nine times, his highest total since nine targets in a Week 3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Heinicke and McLaurin have strong chemistry, and that's good news for the Washington offense. McLaurin finished with five catches for 73 yards and that touchdown.
- 2nd half Heinicke - Washington's QB tripled his passing yardage total in the second half and just looked more like the player that Commanders fans love. He used his feet to extend plays and found pass-catchers as plays broke down. It was encouraging, but also necessary after a rough first half. Heinicke passed 20 for 33 for 200 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
- Defensive line - It's not always about sack totals. Washington didn't bring down Rodgers in this contest but the team was largely able to pressure the future Hall of Famer without blitzing. That allows for better coverage. Plus the Packers got nothing going on the ground, a huge part of that comes from the defensive front.
- Tress Way - Another game, another muffed punt. That's not a fluke. Way puts his punts so high in the air on kicks toward the goal line that it allows coverage teams to converge on the returner and add stress to the catch process. His late punt gave the ball back to Green Bay at the 18 with just 23 seconds to go and set up a wacky final sequence where the Packers flung the ball around the field on a final desperate play that led to nothing.
- Homecoming - The Commanders celebrated their history for Sunday's game and by and large it was cool. There were a number of former players on hand and all three Super Bowl teams were honored at halftime.
- Packers fans - There are so many Packers fans.
Stock Down
- First half Heinicke - This game started BAD for Heinicke, who was wildly inaccurate early and had an interception returned for a touchdown. He also had a fumble returned for a touchdown, but the play was overturned because of a Packers penalty. That was fortuitous. At halftime Heinicke had completed just 7 of 17 passes for 40 yards.
- Stop watches - The refs were impossible in this game, as calls went bad against both sides but it was the duration of challenges that stood out. The first half of this game took 97 actual minutes. Nothing disrupts the flow of a game like a challenge lingering like a bad bathroom odor.
