Burgundy & Gold Reaction: Week 7 Takeaways

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October 25, 2022

by David Earl

Ups and Downs of Heinickie

So after a rough start in the first quarter, Taylor Heinicke settled down and played more within his abilities. His abilities are an interesting topic of discussion. In this game against Green Bay, we saw a quarterback more comfortable in navigating the pocket and more likely to make a play happen with his legs than Carson Wentz. Even the pressure early on did seem to affect Heinicke differently, as he maintained a better level of poise than Wentz has this season. It’s beyond that where the frustrations begin, though, especially in his arm strength. Take away the 40 yard touchdown to McLaurin, which was a beautiful pass, and most his passes were behind receivers on crossing routes, with far too much air under the ball, such as the pass to Cole Turner. His passes consistently underthrown downfield. This is why the debate about whether Wentz or Heinicke is better is such a polarizing discussion.  It’s a situation in which one player’s strongest attributes are the other’s biggest weakness, for the most part. When Wentz was given time we saw a quarterback who efficiently pushed the ball downfield. However, hose moments were few and far between, as the offensive line and scheme forced Wentz into a position to make poor decisions and take bad sacks. Taylor is not void of bed decisions, as we’ve all witnessed but, after Scott Turner adjusted his scheme, he is more capable within this offense to move the chains under pressure. It is certainly an aspect of his game that has been missing from Wentz’s game after his injury in 2017. While that’s an important aspect that surely favors Taylor, defenses will, like last season, start to adjust to his game, thus limiting his options on the run. Unlike those in the media and fan base who are blinded by the trade for Carson Wentz they hated, which critically affects their objective views, clear observation of the season does not vilify either Wentz or Heinicke. These 2 quarterbacks have intangible pieces the other does not possess and both will be viewed under a biased microscope by most.

While I will not absolve Carson or Taylor of their poor play nor will I play the game of “Who is the most effective” under Scott Turner, I will be critical of offensive coordinator Scott Turner. Those who maintain a biased contempt towards either quarterback tend to be less critical of Scott. Too often fans watched Scott continue to build a scheme around long development plays with the offensive line as bad as they have been. This was a no-win scenario for Carson, who has never responded well under great pressure. He develops poor mechanics and bad decisions, and is a player who tends to hold onto the ball too long. As for Heinicke, he is able to elude the pressure better and get to the edges very well. What Scott did Sunday should be applauded to a degree as he did adjust accordingly to put Heinicke in the best position to fail. Unfortunately, we’ve all seen this story before, and even for Wentz at times, where he shows the ability to make adjustments but is just never consistent. Whether you love or hate these quarterbacks, understanding Scott Turner’s scheme accompanied by the success of pass protection is ultimately the key. This offense’s inconsistency is reflected in Scott’s playcalling.

Heinicke’s leadership compared to Wentz’s and how it conversely affects the team is an interesting point. We all heard the stories of Carson Wentz’s lack of leadership ability but that didn’t seem to be the case throughout the year. The players seem to respond well to him and the locker room certainly didn’t seem divided, but is there a different feel with Heinicke as the starter? While the players have always rallied behind him, this might be somewhat of an overstatement. Scott Turner clearly ran a more run-focused offense and a quicker passing game that suits Hainicke’s game which, in turn, gave the defense time to rest. The biggest issue early on was far too many 3-and-outs by the offense, and that had a noticeable ripple effect on the defense. The offense Sunday had more sustained drives especially late in the game which not only kept the defense fresh but prevented Green Bay from gaining any type of rhythm until late in the game. I do not want to take away from Heinicke either – he’s truly proven to be a great leader, but there were a lot of other factors that contributed to this team’s success Sunday including a few calls by the referees that broke Washington’s way.

Jamin Davis and the Defense

In the eyes of many, early this season Jamin Davis looked more and more like a bust, but that has certainly changed in recent weeks. He has utilized his speed exceptionally well in the run game and rushing the quarterback, plus seems to understand how to shed the blocks of offensive lineman much better. He has been highly instinctive against the run, closing up running lanes as quickly as they appear to open, such as the 2nd down and 6 yard to go run with Aaron Jones. This play was power run to the right. Jamin takes an initial step to his left, recognizes the run then quickly gets to the inside shoulder of the right tackle while keeping a low center of gravity leverage. This recognition resulted in a 1 yard loss, which set up a 3rd and long after which the Packers eventually punted. Jamin does continue to over-pursue to his left and gets swallowed up by the offensive lineman. It has become apparent Jack Del Rio has found a niche for Davis and has made him a very productive 3 down linebacker. The defense has become a much better disciplined unit and more effective against the pass since Benjamin St-Juste moved to the outside where he belongs. They are far from perfect, but they’ve improved. The Packers’ beat up offense was more of a story than Washington’s performance in holding them to 0-6 on 3rd down attempts.  That having been said, we have watched this defense give up 3rd down after 3rd down to lesser teams. What also stood out Sunday was that the defensive front was applying pressure most of the game with only 1 total blitz called during the entire game. They are attacking the football, closing up running lanes and not allowing a continuous dose of back-breaking big play after big play like the Detroit game. This defense seems to be coming into their own right now, and Chase Young is soon to return. Next they will face the Colts this week, after they benched Matt Ryan in favor of the 2021 sixth round pick Sam Ehlinger. Hopefully Washington will not allow a Bailey Zappe situation where he throws for over 300 yards and 2 touchdowns to make him look like an all-pro, which we’ve seen happen far too often in the past. With the Vikings and Eagles following this week against the Colts, Washington’s defense cannot afford a let down if they want to stay in the playoff race. For the full game recap click here.