The Washington Commanders got that win they needed 10 days ago against Chicago and now they are back to play and have added starting quarterback Carson Wentz to the long list of injured players with a broken finger. Elevated to QB1 is Taylor Heinicke with Sam Howell as his backup. This is a huge opportunity for Heinicke to try to show he is a starter in this league.
Add Wentz to the list with S Percy Butler (quadricep), T Sam Cosmi (finger), WR Jahan Dotson (hamstring), CB William Jackson (back), TE John Bates (hamstring), TE Logan Thomas (calf), and RB Jonathan Williams (knee), Dyami Brown WR (groin) are all on the injury report. They join Chase Young who is recovering from his ACL knee surgery, and rookie DT Phidarian Mathis (meniscus) on the sidelines today.
“Well, I think first of all, it’s the way [Heinicke] plays. He plays all out. And the legend grows when you dive at pylons and do what he did. I mean, you get guys to rally and so it’s like you said, people love that. But the underdog mentality I think is what people really gravitate towards.”
— head coach Ron Rivera
The defense has to show more improvement from the linebackers and secondary and stop these pass interference penalties that have plagued them. The Commanders are second-to-worst in the NFL in turnover differential at a -7. Wentz has thrown 6 interceptions but the defense has only capitalized on one interception. That is not good at all. The defense has to be more opportunistic.
The Commanders enter this game with a 2-4 record and are looking to claw their way back to a chance to get healthy and make some noise in the NFC East.
ODDS: Washington is a + 4.5 point underdog with the Over/Under at 41.5 points
GAME TIME: Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. ET
LOCATION: FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland
TV: WTTG-5 (FOX) in the DC market
