The Washington Commanders defeated the Indianapolis Colts 17-16 Sunday after some late-game heroics from quarterback Taylor Heinicke and wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
Washington’s offense was quiet for a good portion of the game. The once-promising running game had all but disappeared, and Heinicke was left checking down, leading to multiple short drives.
Fortunately for Washington, its defense did its job, keeping the game close until the offense could eventually figure things out. Now, the Commanders sit at 4-4 on the season and have a much different outlook than they did after that heartbreaking loss to the Titans in Week 5.
We name six players who stood out in Washington’s win over Indianapolis.
QB Taylor Heinicke
Say what you want about Heinicke. His mental toughness may be his biggest strength. Heinicke’s interception looked horrible, and it led to the Colts’ only touchdown of the day in the fourth quarter. Heinicke didn’t flinch. He led two outstanding scoring drives to lift the Commanders to a win. On those drives, he made some big-time throws, including a fourth-down conversion to Curtis Samuel. Of course, the biggest throw was his 33-yard completion to McLaurin.
Heinicke’s mobility bought him some time on several of his completions Sunday. Washington doesn’t win this game without Heinicke.
RB Antonio Gibson
The Commanders finally understand how to best utilize running back Antonio Gibson. The former college wide receiver is best when he’s moved around, not locked into the role of a power running back. Gibson’s passing game usage has improved recently, as has his production. That’s not a coincidence. The coaches need to make Gibson a priority in the passing game while allowing 10-15 carries per game.
In the first half, Gibson was Washington’s only offense for the most part. Imagine how dangerous the passing game could be if Washington could set up proper blocking on screen plays.
WR Terry McLaurin
McLaurin went over 100 yards for the second time this season. It was his second straight clutch performance in a Washington win. McLaurin and Gibson should always be heavily featured in the game plan. The Commanders have done a better job of finding ways to get McLaurin the football. In the first half, he had a 42-yard catch-and-run, something we don’t often see because McLaurin is often forced to fight for contested catches.
Speaking of contest catches, his catch against Stephon Gilmore, with 26 seconds remaining, won the game for the Commanders.
DT Jonathan Allen
It seems like Jonathan Allen makes an appearance on this list every week. Last week during a conversation with the “Sports Junkies,” Allen said he was excited about this week’s matchup with Colts All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson. After watching Allen win most of his battles against Nelson, we see why. Allen finished with eight tackles, including two for loss and forced a fumble vs. the Colts.
LB Jamin Davis
One of the more fun stories of the 2022 season has been the continued development of second-year linebacker Jamin Davis. No, Davis hasn’t emerged as a star yet, but each week, we see why the Commanders were in love with his potential. Davis is fast and athletic but didn’t play up to that speed and athleticism last season. This year, he’s getting better every week, and on Sunday, he made what was one of the plays of the game for the Commanders. On a 3rd and goal in the second half, Davis stopped All-Pro Indianapolis running back Jonathan Taylor for a loss, forcing the Colts to kick the field goal.
That proved to be the difference in the game. This is a terrific play.
HELL of a play on the half yard line by Jamin Davis!!!💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/pyrpzSQ0TE
— Mark Tyler(Hogs Haven) (@Tiller56) October 30, 2022
P Tress Way
Punters deserve some love, too. Tress Way is so good and has been so good for so long that many fans don’t realize he’s one of the NFL’s best. In Sunday’s win over the Colts, Way punted six times for 494 yards, an average of 49 yards per punt. Four of those punts landed inside the 20-yard line. And, his best punt of the day came after Heinicke was sacked and Washington badly needed to flip field position. Punting from his end zone, Way drilled a 65-yard punt to help out his defense. Way was one of Washington’s underrated MVPs Sunday.
