Taylor Heinicke’s goal-line dive costs Washington easy touchdown vs. Packers

An unforced error — and perhaps a little too much effort — by Washington Football Team quarterback Taylor Heinicke cost his team a touchdown against the Packers on Sunday.

Heinicke faced third-and-goal from the Packers’ 3-yard line while his team trailed 21-7 midway through the third quarter. He quickly decided to scramble for the score and had a wide-open lane to the end zone. That is, until he decided to dive for the goal line despite the nearest defender being a few yards away.

The play was ruled a touchdown on the field, leading Heinicke — who grew up a Packers fan — to perform a Lambeau Leap. But officials later reviewed the play, determining he was actually a half-yard short. That brought up fourth-and-goal from inside the 1.

Coach Ron Rivera elected to attempt to convert on fourth-and-goal, giving Heinicke a chance at redemption. Unfortunately, he fumbled on the attempt and, after collecting it, still couldn’t get it across the goal line.

So Heinicke went from scoring to pull within one touchdown of the Packers, to going for a Lambeau Leap, to having his play overturned, to fumbling the ball to failing to convert on fourth down. Not a great series of plays, all told.

Washington’s defense did its part to force a three-and-out, but the offense once again fell short of the goal line on the ensuing drive. This time, it faced fourth-and-2 from the Packers’ 3-yard line; Heinicke’s pass was incomplete over the middle to Ricky Seals-Jones, resulting in another turnover on downs.

Those two scores would have tied the game at 21-21, keeping the WFT (2-4) in contention for a much-needed win. But the Packers managed to score on the ensuing drive, making it 24-7 with 11:26 remaining to play.

Source: Read Full Article