Taylor Heinicke may not cure Commanders dysfunction. But he can help them find identity.

LANDOVER — Near the end of Sunday’s contest, Tress Way noticed the wear and tear on Taylor Heinicke’s jersey. The Washington Commanders punter saw the grass stains on his quarterback’s uniform, the damage from repeatedly hitting the ground — even though Heinicke had only been officially sacked once. 

It looked like everything hurt, Way said. 

“Taylor looks like he’s playing pickup football with his best friends,” Way said. “But it’s in the NFL.”

That type of refrain was common after Washington’s 23-21 upset win over the Green Bay Packers: No matter the circumstances, Heinicke continues to play with the kind of free-spirited, never-say-die attitude that can be found in backyard football games. He plays with the sense of desperation that comes with being out of the NFL for almost two years, when he lived on his sister’s couch prior to joining Washington in 2020. He plays with an energy that spreads to other players on the roster, teammates say. 

And in his first start this season, filling in for an injured Carson Wentz, Heinicke played well enough to help the Commanders crawl back closer to .500 — helping Washington improve to 3-4 as the franchise has now won back-to-back games for the first time this year. The Packers (3-4) unexpectedly dropped their third straight. 

Heinicke may not be a cure-all for the Commanders’ dysfunction. And to be clear, there was plenty of dysfunction Sunday. Commanders co-owner Tanya Snyder was booed after a pre-packaged video that featured her promoting breast cancer awareness was shown in the first half. Then, following the boos, chants of “Sell the team!” carried throughout the stadium. 

The chants and boos followed what was a tumultuous week for the franchise, with Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay becoming the first owner to publicly call for the owners to consider Commanders owner Dan Snyder’s removal from the NFL. At FedEx Field, security guards made fans put down “Sell the team” signs and take off paper bags that had the same message. Elsewhere, a crowd of 60,427 was made up of mostly Packers fans. 

But at the very least, Heinicke can be an entertaining distraction from those off-the-field issues. And on the field, he can help the Commanders find an identity while Wentz is sidelined for at least the next month with a fractured finger. 

“I don’t care about the doubters, I don’t care what they have to say,” Heinicke said.”I care about the people that believe in me. I want to prove them right. That means more to me than anyone else who has something negative to say.” 

Heinicke wasn’t without fault. He threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns with one interception — numbers that hardly jump off the page. He made his mistakes, like his pick-six in the second quarter that gave the Packers a 14-3 lead. Coach Ron Rivera even joked that if he could combine Wentz’s big arm and size and Heinicke’s moxie and ability to scramble, then, “I’d love to do that.” 

But the Commanders will rely on the quarterback they currently have. And under Heinicke, Rivera and Co. understand the type of formula that can help rattle off wins. Last season, Heinicke engineered a four-game winning streak in which the Commanders were propped up with a strong running game and a dominant defense.

Against the Packers, Washington excelled in each of those areas. The Packers — with four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers — were held to just 232 yards. In fact, the Packers failed to convert on third down (0 for 6) for the first time in Rodgers’ career. 

Washington rushed for 166 yards on 38 carries. And perhaps most importantly, the Commanders dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 37:07 to Green Bay’s 22:53.

Even special teams were a factor, with the Commanders recovering another muffed punt for the second straight game. Way also pinned Green Bay deep in its own territory multiple times, including the Packers’ final possession that started with 23 seconds left. 

“If you are going to win ugly, who cares?” Rivera said. 

This one, however, was ugly. And though Washington got a number of players to step up, it needed Heinicke to deliver in clutch moments. And he did. 

Heinicke overcame a slow start in which he opened the game just 1 of 7 with an interception that resulted in a 0.0 quarterback rating. Rivera said Heinicke was able to do so by getting the ball out faster.

But Sunday’s game turned in the third quarter when Heinicke connected on a 37-yard bomb to star wideout Terry McLaurin — who hauled the ball in the end zone for a touchdown to give Washington a 17-14 lead in the third. 

The Commanders extended their lead to as many as nine with a pair of field goals, though the win arguably wouldn’t have been possible without that throw. Rivera called it “as good as it gets.” McLaurin, who finished with 73 yards on five catches, said it was their best route since they’ve started playing together. 

“It’s almost like it just came to me out of the sky,” McLaurin said. 

The wide receiver led the NFL last season in contested catches, and Heinicke provided a reminder as to why: The quarterback trusts McLaurin to haul in 50-50 balls — even when the Ohio State alum isn’t necessarily open. But their connection came through in big moments, such as late when McLaurin converted on third-and-9 to help drain more time off the clock with 2:12 left. 

It hardly mattered that McLaurin had to withstand a crushing hit to secure the ball.

“They pay that guy a lot of money, right?” Heinicke said. “So let’s give him a chance.” 

The Commanders’ season, though, is in better shape now because Washington gave Heinicke a chance again. Afterward — after Washington held on following a series of laterals from Green Bay that made the final play way too close for comfort — the quarterback greeted Rodgers on the field. Heinicke, a childhood Packers fan as his late father grew up in Wisconsin, said he was too “starstruck” to remember what the future Hall of Famer had said. 

But Heinicke revealed he has an idea to celebrate his first time beating the Packers: He’s going to keep his jersey and plans to frame it. Grass stains and all.