Despite the struggles of his quarterback, Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera says he is not considering a change from Taylor Heinicke to backup Kyle Allen.
Rivera says he is “very confident” in what the team has been able to do with Heinicke as their QB.
“Not every week is going to be as productive as most people want it to be – as we want to be – so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens going forward,” Rivera said per Michael Philips of The Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Heinicke assumed the starting QB position when Ryan Fitzpatrick went down with a hip injury in the second quarter of Week 1. Heinicke has since started the last five games.
His limitations such as arm strength and missed reads have been glaring, particularly in Washington’s last two games — both losses.
He threw three interceptions and just one touchdown collectively in the last two games against the Saints and Chiefs. He’s averaged 215 yards in those games. Sunday against one of the worst defenses in the league, Washington’s offense mustered just 13 points despite Washington’s defense forcing three turnovers.
Meanwhile, Allen remains on the bench. Last year, Rivera acquired him in a trade from his former team the Carolina Panthers. Allen’s familiarity with offensive coordinator Scott Turner’s system was highly touted.
However, he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in his fourth start after replacing Dwayne Haskins in 2020. Washington was 1-3 in the four games he started.
He returned for training camp this year, but suffered a setback that forced him to miss the first preseason game.
Allen started the season as the third quarterback and was inactive for the season opener against the Chargers. He was elevated to backup after Fitzpatrick’s injury. But it appears his coaches won’t be playing him anytime soon.
