Washington Football Team quarterback Taylor Heinicke launched himself into the end zone in the third quarter of Saturday’s Super Wild Card Weekend game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, capturing the hearts and imaginations of America.
Heinicke proved himself to be quite the dual-threat playmaker against the Bucs’ stout defense, evading pressure in the pocket and picking up plenty of yards with his feet. But this Superman dive for the pylon was truly special.
WATCH: Taylor Heinicke enters Superman mode on touchdown run
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s — Taylor Heinicke! Check out The Checkdown‘s highlight reel of the Washington signal-caller’s incredible individual effort to cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 18-16:
Laying out from the 4-yard line, keeping the ball secure and managing to break the plane with numerous Bucs defenders in hot pursuit is a spectacular achievement for any skill player, much less an unheralded quarterback like Heinicke.
Although the Football Team didn’t convert a subsequent two-point conversion to knot the score, Washington fans have to be doing backflips, cartwheels and maybe now, swan dives onto their couches watching Heinicke ball out like this.
If you had Heinicke going toe to toe with the GOAT himself, Tom Brady, then good on you. No one else saw any of this coming.
Heinicke hadn’t been in the NFL since 2018, and only Dwayne Haskins’ release and Alex Smith’s injury really gave him the opportunity to join the Football Team in the first place. To say the 27-year-old is making the most of his opportunity is an understatement of enormous proportions.