The Washington Commanders lost in Week 16 to the San Francisco 49ers and after Taylor Heinicke struggled to produce, Ron Rivera benched him in favor of Carson Wentz, who hasn't seen the field much in 2022. The ex-first-rounder did show well though, completing 12 of 16 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. That's likely part of the reason Rivera has yet to name his starting QB for Week 17 against the Browns.
Via PFT:
“Well I just want to make sure I have an opportunity to speak to everybody before I make a decision,” Rivera said in his video conference. “I want to make sure I’ve got all the thoughts and ideas and concepts. Again, at the end of the day, the decision’s going to be made based on what I believe is best for us going forward, gives us the best opportunity right now. That’s what this is really about.”
Rivera did find positives from both signal-callers performances Sunday, though:
“I thought Taylor did some really good things. There were some opportunities, I think, that we could’ve taken advantage of as well,” Rivera said. “I thought Carson coming in and not having played in a while, he was a little rusty at first. And then he started to sharpen up. He showed he made quick decisions. So, that was good to see. It was. There are still some things he can continue to work on and improve as well.”
Taylor Heinicke has started nine games this season and looked pretty solid at times. But after Wentz made an impact Sunday, it's clear Rivera is seriously considering the idea of giving Wentz a chance to start here. It's also slightly concerning however because it also says that Washington doesn't have a clear-cut QB1 they can rely on if the head coach continues to make changes.
With the Commanders currently holding the final NFC Wild Card spot, their final two games are huge. The right man must be under center.
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