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After Taylor Heinicke led the Washington Commanders to yet another win, coach Ron Rivera made the announcement that had become inevitable: Heinicke is no longer the backup to Carson Wentz.
Heinicke threw for 191 yards to improve to 4-1 as a starter, Kendall Fuller returned an interception for a touchdown, and the Commanders rolled to a 23-10 win over the hapless Houston Texans on Sunday.
Heinicke, thrust into the starting role when Wentz fractured a finger, had another solid performance to help the Commanders (6-5) build on Monday night's victory over previously unbeaten Philadelphia. Washington has won five of six and is above .500 for the first time since Week 1.
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Darrick Forrest (22) of the Washington Commanders celebrates an interception with teammates in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Nov. 20, 2022, in Houston. (Bob Levey/Getty Images)
"We are going to go with Taylor, and we’ll work Carson back in and see where Carson is in terms of when he’s ready to be the backup," Rivera said. "Then, we’ll go from there."
Asked why he made the decision, Rivera was succinct.
"Winning," he said. "That’s the truth. That’s where we are."
Heinicke was out of football two years ago before Washington signed him as its quarantine quarterback.
"Being a starting quarterback in the NFL, it’s every kid’s dream," he said. "It means a lot to me. It’s very special to me. I just want to keep this thing rolling."
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Davis Mills threw two interceptions and Houston mustered a season-low 148 yards of offense as the Texans (1-8-1) lost their fifth straight and remained the NFL’s only one-win team.
"There’s not a whole lot that we’re doing well," coach Lovie Smith said. "We’re building. We’re not quite there yet. We’re not a good football team right now."
Washington led 20-0 at halftime behind Fuller's pick-6, a TD run by Curtis Samuel and a historically bad first half by Houston’s offense.
Davis Mills (10) of the Houston Texans is sacked against the Washington Commanders at NRG Stadium on Nov. 20, 2022, in Houston. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
The Texans were outgained 246-5 in the first half, their fewest net yards in a half in franchise history. Their previous worst was eight in the first half of a 40-0 loss to the Bills last season.
It was the fewest yards by a team in a half since the Raiders had minus 12 in a win over the Broncos in 2015. Mills had minus 1-yard passing in the first half as was sacked three times before the break.
Smith became defensive when peppered with questions about whether he's considered benching Mills and scoffed at the notion that he'd make a decision like that immediately after a game.
"You say it starts with quarterback," he said. "But no, it starts up front. ... And today with that type of pressure, I don’t know how many quarterbacks could have had success."
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The Commanders scored only a field goal after halftime, but their dominant first half was plenty.
The crowd had so many Commanders fans that chants of "defense, defense" could be heard on a couple of possessions when Houston had the ball. About the only reactions from Texans fans were boos, except for the cheers that came when third baseman Alex Bregman of the World Series champion Houston Astros was shown on the big screens in the first half.
Antonio Gibson (24) of the Washington Commanders runs with the ball in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Nov. 20, 2022, in Houston. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Montez Sweat and Jonathan Allen had two sacks apiece and combined for six quarterback hits to lead a Washington defense that hurried and harassed Mills all day.
"To see your DBs come out strong like that, you know it’s going to be a good game," Allen said. "Especially with a younger quarterback, for him to throw a pick-6 on the second or third play of the game, we know it would affect him a little bit, probably hold a little bit longer than he was naturally going to."
Houston rookie Dameon Pierce, who entered the game ranked fifth in the NFL with 772 yards rushing, had 10 carries for a season-low eight yards.
The Commanders took an early lead when Fuller stepped in front of a pass intended for Brandin Cooks, grabbed the ball and returned it 37 yards to the end zone on Houston’s second offensive play.
Washington made it 14-0 when Samuel scored on a 10-yard run early in the second quarter.
The Texans finally found some offense on their first drive of the third quarter when Cooks grabbed a 41-yard reception. Mills scrambled for four yards on 4th-and-3 from the 15 to keep that drive going.
Taylor Heinicke of the Washington Commanders passes in the third quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Nov. 20, 2022, in Houston. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Rookie John Ridgeway got an unnecessary roughness penalty for upending Pierce and throwing him to the ground on the next play to give Houston a first down at the 5. But the Texans settled for a field goal to make it 20-3 after Mills was sacked on third down.
Mills' second interception came in the fourth quarter when Benjamin St-Juste made a diving catch on a long throw to give Washington the ball on its 3.
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Mills scrambled for a 4-yard touchdown with about three minutes left.