Taylor Heinicke and Terry McLaurin did it again.
There’s a special connection between Heinicke and McLaurin, and every time Heinicke starts a game for the Washington Commanders, the pair always seem to deliver some magic.
During Sunday’s win over the Indianapolis Colts, Heinicke’s trust in McLaurin is the primary reason the Commanders walked away with a win.
With Washington trailing 16-10 with under one minute remaining, Heinicke drops back, sees something he doesn’t like, and McLaurin breaks off his route to play some schoolyard football with Heinicke. Of course, Heinicke notices and delivers a deep ball down the field to McLaurin, who was covered by All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
McLaurin won the battle, he was excited, and Heinicke scored from one yard out on the next play, and the Commanders won the game.
After the game, Heinicke explained his thought process on that throw and how Heinicke wasn’t the initial target.
“So Terry was actually kind of a decoy on that, based on the coverage that we got,” Heinicke said. “We’re really trying to pry a hole open for the No. 2 guy. I wasn’t comfortable throwing to the No. 2 guy. I just couldn’t see clearly. He might have been open, maybe not, I don’t know, and then it turned into a scramble drill. Before I got out of the pocket, I kind of saw that the pocket was very clean, so I kind of stood back there and let the receivers do their thing, kind of get open. I looked back left, and I see Terry behind (Stephon) Gilmore, and I said, ‘Hey, let’s give this guy another shot,’ and he continues to make the plays. Again, Terry is that dude. He’s got that dog in him. Again, I’m going to continue to give him opportunities to make big plays.”
How did McLaurin see things from his vantage point?
“It was a normal concept that we run,” McLaurin said. “I was backside with Stephon Gilmore – he’s an unbelievable player, and I have a lot of respect for him. A few plays before that, on a scramble drill, I got loose on him, and Taylor (Heinicke) threw it to the right. You know, scramble drill you just want to be available for your quarterback, and I kind of have a feel when he’s going to start extending the play. In this particular catch I kind of did a pirouette around Gilmore, and I got loose, Taylor saw me, and he just gave me a chance for the ball. I had a lot of confidence that I was going to come down with that ball and it was just a great overall play from the o-line to Taylor just giving me a chance.”
McLaurin and Heinicke clearly have a good feel for one another on the field and that chemistry has helped lead Washington to wins in the last two weeks.