After the touch, Wentz, obviously in discomfort, bent over and shook his hand furiously to relieve the ache. He did so many times during the rest of the sport, however performed its entirety with out tape or a splint round his palms. Wentz completed 12 of twenty-two for 99 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions and a 66.3 passer ranking. He additionally took 3 sacks to reclaim the league lead with 23 on this season.
“It’s a little sore. But I think I’ll be all right,” Wentz mentioned in a while. “ … The chilly conditions didn’t necessarily help the jammed fingers. But it was all right. I was doing all right.”
Wentz had landed on the harm file the week prior as a result of a proper shoulder harm that was once later reported to be a strained biceps tendon. He insinuated on the time that the shoulder harm was once minor, and he persisted to follow forward of Thursday’s sport.
His Monday appointment will resolve the severity and vital restoration for Wentz. Should he must omit time, Taylor Heinicke will take over at quarterback, a state of affairs all too acquainted to Washington.
Heinicke arrived in Washington not up to two years in the past to be the workforce’s emergency quarterback throughout the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, necessarily serving as an insurance coverage in case of a scourge. A month later, he began rather than Alex Smith in Washington’s wild-card playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, incomes a 2d contract with the workforce. He changed into the fill-in starter in opposition to ultimate season when Ryan Fitzpatrick went down with a season-ending hip harm in ultimate yr’s opener.
An undrafted quarterback out of Old Dominion, Heinicke performed for offensive coordinator Scott Turner in Minnesota, when Turner was once the Vikings’ quarterbacks trainer, and once more in Carolina with the Panthers. Though he lacked beginning revel in, he was once aware of Washington’s device and far of its training team of workers.
In 2021, in taking up for Fitzpatrick, Heinicke led Washington to a 7-8 file as a starter and changed into a fan favourite for his gritty play and, particularly, his pylon-dive touchdowns.
The workforce made it transparent earlier than the tip of ultimate season, on the other hand, that it could get some other quarterback within the offseason in an try to forestall its years-long cycle of starters. Washington traded for Wentz with the realization his measurement, arm power and revel in can be a boon for the offense.
But thru six video games, the Commanders (2-4) have struggled, repeating most of the similar errors in their previous. Their offense ranks thirtieth in yards in keeping with play (4.83) and sits a few of the backside 10 within the league in passing yards, speeding yards, third-down conversion charge and scoring, amongst different classes.
Although the win in Chicago snapped their dropping streak, the sport was once riddled with mistakes and described by way of avid gamers as an “ugly” and “sloppy” victory.
“We all know that,” left take on Charles Leno mentioned. “A lot of the Thursday games have been ugly. But we got the ‘W.’ That’s all that matters.”
Injuries were partially guilty for the Commanders’ woes.
Washington has began 4 facilities as a result of accidents to Chase Roullier and Wes Schweitzer. It didn’t have rookie receiver Jahan Dotson (hamstring) or beginning tight finish Logan Thomas (calf) for the ultimate two video games, remains to be with out defensive finish Chase Young (ACL), didn’t have protection Kam Curl for its first two video games (thumb) and now’s with out beginning proper take on Sam Cosmi as a result of a identical harm.
“Tremendous frustration,” Commanders Coach Ron Rivera mentioned previous this month in regards to the workforce’s accidents. “Especially because again, like I said, when you start seeing some steps go forward and then all of a sudden you go backward, that’s a tough pill to swallow. It is because you feel good potentially about what could be headed in the right direction and then something comes up.”
As Washington has struggled, the force has fastened — on each avid gamers and coaches. Following the workforce’s Week 5 loss to the Tennessee Titans, Rivera was once requested in regards to the good fortune of the NFC East and why Washington persisted to lag. His resolution — “quarterback” — led many to consider he blamed Wentz completely for the workforce’s dropping. Rivera later apologized to his avid gamers and mentioned his feedback had been “misconstrued.” It wasn’t the participant such a lot because the circumstance, he attempted to explanation why. The different quarterbacks within the department have been with their respective groups and of their methods for longer than Wentz.
Should the workforce have to begin Heinicke, even quickly, the exchange by myself generally is a wanted jolt to the offense as a result of his mobility. Wentz’s accidents over time, to his knee and again, have gave the impression to restricted his talent to increase performs, which thereby limits the offense.
Though Heinicke lacks Wentz’s arm power and measurement, he can transfer, and in previous seasons it’s helped the Commanders stay drives and video games alive.
As the Commanders look forward to information in their quarterback scenario, the workforce gets a brief reprieve earlier than returning to host Green Bay Packers on Oct. 23, virtually precisely a yr after dropping to them 24-10 at Lambeau Field with Heinicke at quarterback.