The Commanders Week 7 win vs. the Green Bay Packers was a huge W that allows the NFC East team to stay in the NFC Wild Card race. Without starting quarterback Carson Wentz, backup Taylor Heinicke led a comeback against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to move the Commanders to 3-4 on the season. Heinicke might not have played a perfect game, but in the Commanders-Packers contest, he was good enough to get the W, and that’s all that matters. Here are a few more of the biggest Commanders takeaways from Week 7.

3. Taylor Heinicke is a winner

Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the headline. Did Taylor Heinicke “shine” like a legit franchise QB? No. Did he rebound from a tough start to comeback against one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history to get his team a crucial win? Absolutely.

Heinicke was 20-of-33 for 201 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the Commanders Week 7 win. He threw a Carson Wentz-like soul-crushing pick-six early in the game to put the Packers up 14-3 but then led a methodical comeback to take the game 23-21.

The backup QB evened his career record as Commanders starter to 8-8 in this game and earned himself a $125,000 bonus, as he does for every game he wins while playing 60% or more of the team’s snaps. He also showed Wentz how to not let one big error compound and managed the game expertly in the second half.

There is enough talent on the Commanders to win games if the quarterback doesn’t screw it up, and that’s exactly what Heinicke did (or, really, didn’t do) in this Commanders-Packers game.

Now the QB has to do it again (likely) in Week 8 vs. the Indianapolis Colts to keep the good times rolling. In the meantime, though, Heinicke says he’s going to do what he always does after getting that $125K bonus and buy a pair of Packers-colored Jordans for his sneaker collection.

2. Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson are dangerous

Washington didn’t have to put everything on Taylor Heinicke’s shoulders in the Commanders-Packers game because the team’s new two-headed rushing attack was excellent in Week 7.

Brian Robinson Jr. is already the best story in the NFL this season, coming back to play just about six weeks after being shot twice in an attempted car-jacking. Now, though, he’s more than just a nice human interest story. He’s one of the best rookie RBs in the league, too.

Robinson has 20 carries for 73 yards and two catches for 13 yards while Antonio Gibson added 59 rushing yards on 10 carries and caught three balls for 18 yards and a TD. The Commanders rushed for 166 yards overall and controlled the game. The team won the time of possession battle by a commanding (pun intended) margin, 37:07 to 22:53.

With the team’s quarterback play this season, the big Commanders takeaway here is that running and defense are the keys to winning games, which brings us nicely to our final point.

1. The Commanders defense could be poised for a second-half surge

Washington is loaded with talent on the defensive side of the ball, but the Commanders D is ranked 21st in the league. Some of that is due to the Chase Young injury, who hasn’t played since he tore his ACL in Week 10 last season. But some of it is just due to an underperforming unit.

In the Commanders Week 7 matchup, the defense showed up to play. The unit didn’t have any sacks or interceptions, and their only official fumble recovery was on the final, lateral-filled play of the game. However, the defense held the Packers to just 232 yards on offense, and that allowed the team to make its comeback.

How much of that was on Aaron Rodgers and the putrid Packers offense, and how much was on the Commanders D itself? That’s hard to tell.

However, this game will give the defense confidence heading into Week 8. After that, there is a chance Young makes his 2022 debut against the Colts or in Week 9 vs. the Minnesota Vikings. If the 2020 No. 2 overall pick can come pack and be a dominant pass-rushing force, that could take the defense to the level most expected it to be at this year.

If Ron Rivera can get the defense to build on its excellent effort in this Week 7 Commanders-Packers game, there is a chance it can carry the team to new heights in the back half of the season. If that happens, the biggest Commanders takeaway from this week will be that it was the moment the team started its 2022 playoff run.