Washington Football Team veteran quarterback Alex Smith is listed as inactive for the NFC East division champs' Wild Card matchup with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Backup passer Taylor Heinicke will have to start under center in Smith's stead.

Alex Smith has been dealing with an ailing calf injury in recent weeks, which caused him to miss two games in Weeks 15 and 16. However, he returned in Week 17 to help Washington secure the NFC East in a narrow win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Despite playing last week, Smith seemed to have worsened the injury enough to be able to play. While the veteran signal-caller tried his best to be available against the Buccaneers, Schefter said that Smith couldn't function properly enough to be active.

The former No. 1 overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft was the feel-good story of the season—along with Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera fighting cancer on the sidelines.

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As for Henicke, he is Washington's top option now after the team released controversial quarterback Dwayne Haskins, Washington Football Team's 2019 first-round pick out of Ohio State.

The 27-year-old is in his fourth season in the NFL, but he has made only one start in his career. His lone start came in Week 16 with the Carolina Panthers last season, where he threw for 274 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions on 53 attempts.

Back in Week 16, Heinicke was forced to step in for Washington against his former team in the Panthers. This time around, Heinicke will have to face Brady and Tampa Bay's red-hot offense in his first career playoff start.