Awkward.
At least he has the screenshot
Getting to start an NFL game at Lambeau Field was a dream come true for Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke. The 28-year-old grew up as a big Packers fan whose favorite player was Brett Favre, influenced by his late father’s love for Green Bay.
Washington came up short against the Packers on Sunday, losing 24–10, but Heinicke was solid enough. He completed 25 of 37 passes for 268 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. He also added 95 yards rushing on 10 carries. His day would have been even better if a third-quarter rushing touchdown had held up.
After leading a long drive into the red zone, Heinicke scrambled for what looked like a three-yard touchdown run. After he crossed the goal line, he scanned the front row for a friendly face wearing burgundy-and-gold and executed a flawless Lambeau Leap.
He must have been dreaming of that moment since he was a kid. And unfortunately, the celebration was entirely unwarranted. Heinicke’s touchdown got wiped off the board upon review because he dove headfirst and hit the ground before he crossed the goal line.
A rule change implemented before the start of the 2018 season treats dives the same as slides. Once a ballcarrier gives himself up, forward progress is stopped when he first hit the ground. Heinicke didn’t need to dive to get into the end zone, but his knee clearly hit the ground before the ball crossed the plane.
Heinicke’s dive gave Washington a fourth-and-goal from the 1 and he had a chance to redeem himself (and do a more legitimate Lambeau Leap) with a QB sneak. Except he got stuffed, fumbled the ball, recovered it and still ended up short of the goal line.
Heinicke thought he scored on both plays.
“I don’t want to get into specifics, but I felt like I was in there both times,” Heinicke said after the game. “I don’t want to get fined up here so I’m not going to get into specifics.”
Of course he feels that way, but the plays were pretty clear-cut. That makes his premature Lambeau Leap all the more embarrassing. And unfortunately for Heinicke, as a backup quarterback playing in a different division than the Packers, it’s unlikely he’ll get another chance to redeem himself.
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