Source: Very real chance Heinicke plays a lot, if not starts vs. Bucs originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

There’s a “very real chance” Taylor Heinicke plays a lot, if not starts, in Washington’s playoff game Saturday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a source told NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay.

As of Friday night, Alex Smith’s calf injury hasn’t responded, leaving the status of if and how much he can play in the air. But that won’t be determined until Saturday before the game.

Head coach Ron Rivera brought up on Tuesday the possibility of the two quarterbacks rotating, but didn’t go into detail about what circumstances would dictate pulling one for the other.

Smith is 5-1 as Washington’s starter this season but was more limited than usual last week in the team’s finale against the Eagles. Heinicke, just a month removed from being signed off the street, took a majority of first-team practice snaps this week, as Smith rested his sore calf.