Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith struggled in his return from a calf injury against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17. Washington head coach Ron Rivera considered pulling Smith but ultimately decided to stick with him.
However, heading into the Wild Card matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Rivera is considering a plan to rotate between Smith and Taylor Heinicke, per JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington.
Smith first suffered the calf injury in Week 14 against the San Francisco 49ers, and he then missed the ensuing two games. Dwayne Haskins took over for Smith, but he was a disaster and was benched in favor of Heinicke in Week 16 against the Carolina Panthers before ultimately getting cut.
Smith managed to return for the final game of the regular season, but he wasn't at full strength. The veteran produced 162 yards on a 22-of-32 passing clip along with two touchdowns for Washington in Week 17. Terry McLaurin and Logan Thomas each hauled in a touchdown.
Despite the shaky playmaking, Smith still finished the game and earned a 20-14 victory. The win powered Washington to the NFC East title and the No. 4 seed in the NFC, setting up the showdown with Tampa Bay.
Facing a tough Wild Card matchup against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, Rivera will have to do whatever it takes for his team to win, and rotating his quarterbacks under center might just do the trick for Washington on Jan. 9. It would certainly be a bold strategy, so we'll see if Riverboat Ron tries it out.
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