A couple of weeks ago, it seemed like Taylor Heinicke had the Washington Commanders' QB1 role locked up. After a string of solid performances, the team announced that he'd be the starting QB even after Carson Wentz' return. However, in Week 16, Heinicke was benched by the Commanders in the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers. When asked about it after the game, Heinicke was, as always, pure class, per Bryan Manning.

Taylor Heinicke: “Starting the fourth, obviously, that’s not how you want to start the fourth quarter, but they (Commanders) made the decision to put Carson in. I thought he did a great job and moved the ball well. That was pretty cool that it was his first game in a while now, and in his first drive, he goes down and scores a touchdown. He was ready for his moment, and I thought he did a good job.”

The Commanders' loss to the 49ers puts a damper on their playoff hopes for the season. They were already hanging on by a thread to the final Wild Card spot with a 7-6-1 record. Now, other would-be postseason players will either catch up to them or even overtake them in the race. This is less than ideal for Washington.

It will be interesting to see if Taylor Heinicke's benching in Week 16 means that Carson Wentz will be the full-time starter for the Commanders. Wentz' first games in Washington were less than ideal, but perhaps his first drive back from injury is a sign of things to come. Either way, the end goal remains the same: make it to the playoffs.