Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke had the best game of his career in Sunday’s Week 11 win over the Carolina Panthers. For Heinicke, it was the second straight week of this being the best game of his career.
In Washington’s 27-21 win over the Panthers, Heinicke completed 16 of 22 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns. A simple glance at the box score will not give Heinicke’s performance the praise it deserves.
Heinicke made multiple impressive throws on Sunday, including all three touchdown passes. He hit Terry McLaurin for one completion in the first quarter, allowing McLaurin to pick up yards after the catch, something he struggled with earlier in the season.
And never forget that wild play on fourth-and-3, where Heinicke rolled to his left and avoided the sack by finding his tight end, John Bates, for the first down.
Taylor Heinicke delivers on 4th & 3! #WashingtonFootball
: #WASvsCAR on FOX
: NFL app pic.twitter.com/WFeXt2Mb9x
— NFL (@NFL) November 21, 2021
Carolina cornerback Donte Jackson — a teammate of Heinicke’s in 2018 with the Panthers — was certainly impressed.
“Oh man, one thing about Taylor Heinicke, man, is you can always count on him to be a fighter,” Jackson said, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.
“Be a competitor. And just be a guy who plays to win. It don’t matter if he has to hand it off 100 times or throw it 100 times. He is just a guy who plays to win it. He really competed today, and it was nice. I was very impressed.”
When your opponent offers that type of praise, you’re earning more respect leaguewide. Remember, we all know how Heinicke’s teammates feel about him.
Next up for Heinicke is the prime-time stage. Washington hosts the Seattle Seahawks and another superstar quarterback in Russell Wilson on Monday Night Football.