If you only read about some of Taylor Heinicke’s exploits in his NFL career, you’d probably compare him to some of the top gunslingers in the game — both current and former.
However, when you watch Heinicke play, you’ll see his full limitations on display. That doesn’t mean he can’t be successful in the NFL; it just means he’ll likely never be considered one of the game’s best QBs like Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes.
Speaking of Mahomes and the Chiefs, they’ll be in town on Sunday when Kansas City meets Washington in Week 6 action.
After Washington’s first practice of the week on Wednesday, Heinicke spoke to the media and discussed Mahomes and the Chiefs.
“I don’t think you can pick up anything from Mahomes. He’s an unbelievable athlete and quarterback,” Heinicke said, per Ethan Cadeaux of NBC Sports Washington.
Heinicke noted how he trained kids who love watching Mahomes, and he had to tell them not to mimic Mahomes because no one is physically capable of doing some of the things he does on the field. He admitted he loves watching Mahomes play.
I kind of go back to when I was training kids when I wasn’t playing, and they were trying to do Mahomes-type stuff,” he said. “I was like, ‘Listen, you’re not Mahomes. That’s something he can do. We can’t.’ I do like watching him play. He’s really fun to watch. But again, I don’t try to pick up any type of stuff from his game because that would probably get me in trouble.”
Heinicke just wants to put Week 5 in the rearview mirror and move forward against the NFL’s worst defense.
“I’m still kind of pissed off about it,” Heinicke said about his performance against the Saints.
Can Heinicke play well enough to lead Washington to an upset win over the Chiefs? It won’t be easy, but he’ll undoubtedly need to take care of the football, or the game could be over by halftime. And, as Heinicke stated on Wednesday, he needs to remember he is playing the Chiefs — not Mahomes.