National Football League

Commanders-49ers features underdog QBs battling to keep their teams on track

Updated Dec. 21, 2022 5:49 p.m. ET

A scrappy backup quarterback is pressed into duty in a starting role on a playoff team and plays well enough to make a compelling case to become a full-time starter.

We've seen this story before.

Brock Purdy is the buzz of the NFL, stepping in as the 49ers' third starting quarterback this season and shining in wins over the Bucs and Seahawks, throwing for four touchdowns and no interceptions. But Washington's Taylor Heinicke can certainly relate.

Two years ago, Heinicke went from being unsigned in December to the practice squad to starting a playoff game. And while Washington didn't beat the Bucs that day, Heinicke threw for 306 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score, giving Tom Brady and his team a scare on the way to their Super Bowl championship.

This season, Heinicke has done it again, taking over a Commanders team that was 2-4 and going 5-2-1 in eight starts since taking over for an injured Carson Wentz. The Commanders had won six of seven before taking a tie and a loss (both to the Giants) to find themselves clinging to the NFC's final wild-card spot.

Taylor Heinicke talks journey from XFL to NFL

Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke joins Colin Cowherd to discuss his journey from the XFL to the NFL and what it took to get to where he is today.

There's a mutual respect among underdog quarterbacks, and Heinicke said this week that he's pulling for Purdy, if not on Saturday.

"One hundred percent," Heinicke said. "Obviously not this game, but when I watch him, I'm rooting for him. The guy is Mr. Irrelevant, he's a shorter quarterback, a lot of guys didn't give him a chance being the last pick in the draft. So I kind of feel that similarity toward him, but he's doing a great job. You watch the film, he knows what he's doing, throws a nice, tight spiral. He's moving the offense well so our defense, they have a tough task on their hands. Hopefully he can take a week off and not play as well."

Washington has limited margin for error in its final three games, with the Seahawks and a surging Lions team both 7-7 and a half-game back. The Commanders get the Browns at home next week, but finish the season against the Cowboys, who beat them 25-10 in October. Dallas, though, may be locked into a playoff seed at that point and not need to play all the starters.

"If someone told us at the beginning of the year, 'Hey, you have three games left and you control your own destiny,' we would take it all day," Heinicke said. "We control our own destiny, and that's all we can ask for."

San Francisco, meanwhile, is in great position for playoff seeding, having clinched the NFC West title at 10-4, assured of no worse than the NFC's No. 3 seed. The 49ers are a game back of the Vikings (11-3) for the second seed and would win a head-to-head tiebreaker with the better conference record, keeping pressure on Minnesota. After this weekend, the 49ers have the Raiders and Cardinals, while the Vikings have to go to Green Bay next week. In theory, a 49ers win this week could keep the Packers (6-8) in wild-card contention entering their game with Minnesota.

Can Purdy, the final pick of the seventh round of this year's draft from Iowa State, continue an unlikely and sudden ascension to NFL stardom? His passer rating over his first two starts is the fourth-highest in NFL history. As a reminder of small sample sizes and the fleeting nature of quarterback success, the three quarterbacks higher than him are Kyle Allen, Marcus Mariota and Scott Mitchell.

This game also features two of the NFL's toughest defenses: San Francisco gives up the fewest points and yards per game in the NFL, and Washington ranks fourth in yards allowed and ninth in points. The Commanders have held 10 straight opponents to 21 points or fewer, and the 49ers have a seven-game streak. Those are the two longest such streaks in the NFL, with the Saints closest at five.

"Anyone who plays defense as well as they do and commits to running the ball, usually it's a recipe to being in the playoffs," said 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who was Washington's offensive coordinator for his father, Mike, from 2010-13. "They're No. 1 in the league in time of possession, they're top four in yards, third on third down, top five in least amount of explosives. They're a top-five defense. When you have that, and you're able to stop the run without always having to play the run, makes them real tough to go against."

Could this be a potential wild-card round playoff preview? Not in the current seeding, but if the 49ers catch the Vikings, they'd be the No. 2 seed, opening the playoffs against the No. 7 seed, currently Washington. If the Giants stumble (with games at the Vikings and Eagles) and Washington caught them for the No. 6 seed, they could open the postseason at San Francisco there as well.

Prediction: San Francisco's defense might be the NFL's best unit on either side of the ball this season, and the 49ers are 6-1 at home. The battle for the final NFC wild card will get a little more interesting for the final two weeks:

49ers 27, Commanders 17

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Greg Auman is FOX Sports’ NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.