During the first half of the Chicago game, something Al Michaels said really grabbed my attention.
Carson Wentz began the third-down play and all too suddenly and Bears linebacker Roquan Smith was already shooting the gap between Commanders center Tyler Larsen and right guard Saahdiq Charles. Of course, blitzing successfully up that middle gap so close to the quarterback, it came as no surprise when Wentz was sacked.
Not only did the suddenness of the sack seize my attention. It was what Michaels then said on the broadcast that led me to jot down a note. “Wentz is now the most sacked quarterback in the league; that’s 22.”
Bears come with a big blitz on 3rd and 7, Made to look like Cover 0 but a few defenders did peel off. Brown is free in the slot but Wentz can't make throw before getting sacked pic.twitter.com/C3H8uZYIzX
— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) October 14, 2022
For accuracy’s sake, Wentz was sacked once more Thursday, meaning he has now been sacked 23 times this season. Wentz is a large man, standing 6-5, and weighing 237. Yet, he was already experiencing a sore biceps, a sore ankle, and a finger on his passing hand was fractured Thursday.
Next man up, please. That would be Taylor Heinicke. Heinicke is the man who put on a dazzling display of energy against Tampa Bay in the 2020 playoff loss. Thus, we loved him.
We loved his leading late drives to win early games in 2021 against the Giants and Falcons. We loved him when he had efficient, effective games in wins over the Bucs and Panthers.
You know what? We should have. He was the backup quarterback with virtually almost no NFL regular season experience, yet Heinicke passed for 3,419 yards, and 20 touchdowns, completing 65 percent of his passes.
Yet, the other side of the coin reveals Heinicke also threw 15 interceptions, his yards per attempt was only 6.9, his QBR only 39.9, his net yards per pass attempt was only 5.9, and he was sacked 38 times.
The Washington line in 2021 which started for the most part also Ereck Flowers and Brandon Scherff at guards and Chase Roullier at center (until Halloween) was much better than this line has been in 2022.
You might be careful what sort of expectations you place on a much smaller and lighter Taylor Heinicke. Heinicke is not on this team to meet your expectations of him. Even more, with this offensive line, might he spend most of his time attempting to escape being battered and beaten?
