Kyle Allen should start for Washington in the final game of the 2021 regular season.
No, I am not a Taylor Heinicke hater, as many Washington fans are.
What are some reasons Allen should be playing in next Sunday’s season finale at the NY Giants?
Allen knows the system. Having been with Scott Turner at Carolina and now two seasons here in Washington, there is no doubt Allen can be quick and decisive.
Secondly, early last week, Coach Ron Rivera said that Allen would “probably” play against the Eagles. But later in the week, the coaches softened it to “Taylor Heinicke is our starter.” Rivera led Allen to believe he would play and then was not permitted to play against the Eagles. That’s the sort of thing that leads to a player looking for work elsewhere next season.
Thirdly, Allen has the stronger arm and has shown he can make throws Taylor Heinicke cannot.
Couple of you asked about how Kyle Allen played on Sunday, thought I’d do a quick thread. First thing that stood out was the velocity difference between him and Heinicke. Drove this deep out to Sims nicely. pic.twitter.com/XAAEjOhxaY
— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) December 16, 2021
Why not give the offense the opportunity in the finale to see what transpires with a QB that can stretch the defense more often and step into a throw with more velocity?
Fourthly, you have Taylor Heinicke under contract next season and for a very affordable price. In addition, you have seen him enough this season. Does he need reps in the final game?
Finally, Coach Ron, you have lost four straight games, and the Giants are not playing Daniel Jones. Allen has put in the time all season, was with you in Carolina, and you traded for him by sending a fifth-round draft choice back to the Panthers. Why not play him?
Don’t you think Terry McLaurin and Cam Sims would like to play one game knowing the ball will be getting there quicker on their routes? Don’t we also know DeAndre Carter knows Allen can get him the ball deep?
Still think about these two plays from WFT-Dallas yesterday.
If DeAndre Carter catches this, WFT is inside the Cowboys’ 30 and threatening to tie/potentially take the lead.
Instead, Carter drops it, and Kyle Allen “fumbles” one play later. Ballgame pic.twitter.com/USag56ghvt
— Ethan Cadeaux (@Ethan_Cadeaux) December 13, 2021
If Coach Ron doesn’t play Allen, don’t be surprised if Allen doesn’t stick around next season. If that is the case, do they really want to bring in two new quarterbacks instead of the one they already need?