Daily Slop: Taylor Heinicke is testing Ron Rivera’s faith in his QB; WFT must stop talk of involving Terry McLaurin more and start doing it

A daily collection of articles from around the web

Whether he gets the ball or not, McLaurin controls what he can control
There’s a lot of things that factor into a wide receiver’s production, but McLaurin is more focused on himself and what he can do to be a better player.

Why Sunday’s game versus Eagles will reveal a lot about Ron Rivera’s rebuild | RSN
Pete Hailey explains why Sunday’s game against the Eagles will say quite a bit about Ron Rivera’s direction in Washington.

Taylor Heinicke is testing Ron Rivera’s faith in his QB – The Washington Post
The WFT signal-caller authored two of the worst games of his young career against the Cowboys. If the trend continues, the coach hints a change could be coming.

Turner: John Bates has ‘exceeded our expectations’
Bates was mostly known as a blocking tight end at Boise State, but the rookie has become so much more than that.

Rescouting the Eagles | 3 things to know ahead of Washington’s home finale
The Washington Football Team will take on the Philadelphia Eagles for the second time in 12 days in its final home game of the season. Here’s a second look at Philadelphia ahead of Washington’s fourth straight division matchup.

From hype to blowouts: Washington’s defensive regression is story of the season – Washington Times
With only two games left in the regular season, Washington (6-9) is on the outside of the playoff picture in large part because the defense — the unit that carried them a year ago — suffered a steep dropoff in performance in 2021.

Washington must stop talk of involving Terry McLaurin more and start doing it | RSN
Terry McLaurin’s been wholly underutilized recently, and while he’ll act as if that’s OK, it’s certainly not OK.

Tim Settle doesn’t appreciate Jaylen Waddle infringing on his penguin dance | RSN
Tim Settle has a growing beef with Dolphins rookie wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. Let’s allow Settle to explain here.

Antonio Gibson is heading to Washington’s reserve/COVID-19 list | RSN
Washington is placing its best running back and a key offensive lineman on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Washington punter Tress Way placed on reserve/COVID-19 list | RSN
The Washington Football Team continues to have positive coronavirus cases.

Washington football players reflect on their COVID experience – some were fighting illness, some boredom during quarantine | Professional Sports | richmond.com
“People joke about me having a weak immune system, but I feel like it’s really strong if I can make it through COVID three times.”

Ron Rivera shares fond memories of mentor John Madden – The Washington Post
The Washington Football Team coach’s relationship with Madden goes back to his days with the Carolina Panthers and played a big part in the evolution of his coaching style.