INDIANAPOLIS — For years, Terry McLaurin’s parents had Colts season tickets in Section 540 of Lucas Oil Stadium. They would bring their son to home games, rooting on their local team — and perhaps envisioning that it would one day be him giving those Indianapolis fans something to cheer about.
On Sunday, the Commanders wide receiver made his parents happy. The rest of the stadium? Not so much.
McLaurin hauled in a dramatic 33-yard bomb from quarterback Taylor Heinicke at the 1-yard line to set up Washington’s 17-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts. After McLaurin’s catch, Heinicke punched in the go-ahead, come-from-behind touchdown with just 22 seconds left to steal a victory in Indianapolis.
The Commanders improved to 4-4 on the season thanks to a gusty effort from Heinicke, who led a 9-play, 89-yard drive with just 2:39 left. The quarterback finished with 279 yards on 23 of 31 passing with a touchdown and an interception.
McLaurin had six catches for 113 yards against his hometown team. On his 33-yard catch, the star wide receiver wrestled the ball away from cornerback Stephon Gilmore to secure the reception and avoid the interception.
“Terry wasn’t going to be denied,” Commanders coach Ron Rivera said.
Sunday was supposed to be about Carson Wentz’s return to Indianapolis. In March, the Colts dumped the quarterback after just one season and couldn’t have been more eager to send him to Washington. But Wentz wouldn’t get an opportunity to get revenge against his former team as the 29-year-old landed on injured reserve earlier this month with a fractured finger.
Instead, the focus shifted to the animosity between Colts owner Jim Irsay and Commanders owner Dan Snyder — a feud that came to light two weeks ago when Irsay told reporters he believed there’s “merit” to remove the embattled billionaire from the NFL after a series of scandals. The explosive comments drew a sharp rebuke from Snyder’s camp, with a team spokesperson insisting that the owner will never sell the franchise.
Unlike in Dallas — when Snyder posed for a photo at midfield pre-game with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones — Snyder did not make a public appearance down on the field, though he was later shown on the television broadcast in a suite.
Yet for all the intrigue involving Snyder and Irsay, Sunday’s game would be defined by its quarterback play. With two backups in, the result would arguably come down to which signal-caller made fewer mistakes.
The Colts made the surprising decision earlier in the week to bench veteran Matt Ryan — Wentz’s replacement in Indianapolis — for 2021 sixth-rounder Sam Ehlinger in hopes that the Texas product’s mobility could spark their struggling offense.
But in the first half, Washington’s defense did a solid job of keeping Ehlinger in check. The Commanders forced two straight three-and-outs to begin the contest. And even when Indianapolis was able to move the ball, the unit didn’t break. It forced a 46-yard field goal on an 11-play, 64-yard drive in the second quarter. And later, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen forced an Ehlinger fumble just as the Colts had reached the red zone — leading to a recovery by Washington defensive tackle Daron Payne.
With the defense holding its end, Heinicke served as an effective game manager for the Commanders. The quarterback was decisive, spreading the ball to a variety of targets for big gains.
There was no better example of that than when Heinicke hit star wide receiver Terry McLaurin for 42 yards in the second quarter. The quarterback had hit McLaurin on a short route and the wideout then took advantage of the open space with his blazing speed. It was a big catch in a meaningful game for McLaurin, an Indianapolis native who had around 70 people in the stands for his return to his hometown.
McLaurin’s catch got Washington into scoring territory, and Heinicke hit running back Antonio Gibson for a 9-yard touchdown to give the Commanders a 7-3 lead.
But the script flipped for large chunks in the second half: The Colts were able to generate offense. And Heinicke and Co. went cold.
The Colts chipped away at Washington’s lead, at first, with a series of field goals. On their first drive of the third, Ehlinger helped the Colts take advantage of solid field position after Washington failed to convert on fourth-and-1 from the 50-yard line — leading to a 39-yarder from Colts kicker Chase McLaughlin.
Indianapolis then took the lead with a 20-yard field goal with 12:32 left in the game. The Colts had gotten all the way to Washington’s 2-yard line thanks in part to explosive plays from wide receiver Parris Campbell (38 yards) and running back Nyheim Hines (22 yards).
It wasn’t a surprise Washington’s defense, meanwhile, couldn’t maintain its edge. After all, the Commanders’ offense failed to generate enough positive plays in the second half to keep its defense rested.
Even when the defense had potential game-changing plays — safety Darrick Forrest forced a Jonathan Taylor fumble just two plays after Ehlinger hit Alec Pierce on a 47-yard gain when it was still 7-6 — Heinicke and the offense did nothing to capitalize.
Heinicke threw a back-breaking interception on the first play after the Colts seized the lead, with linebacker Shaq Leonard reading the quarterback’s movement all the way. The Colts then scored with a six-yard rushing touchdown from Hines to go up 16-7.
But Heinicke and the offense woke up just in time. Washington added another field goal after the Hines’ touchdown and the defense made a stop to get the Commanders the ball back with less than three minutes left.
“It was just a great team win,” McLaurin said. “I’m extremely grateful to be here and be a part of this.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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