Washington to start QB Taylor Heinicke vs. Buccaneers

Hours after John Wolford‘s initial playoff start, Washington will opt to use its young backup in its postseason opener.

Taylor Heinicke will start for Washington in its home playoff game against Tampa Bay. Alex Smith will be inactive. Heinicke will be the fourth quarterback to start for Washington this season, following Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen and Smith.

With Saturday night's game featuring a Heinicke-Tom Brady matchup, it will mark the biggest postseason experience disparity in NFL history. Brady has made 41 playoff starts; Heinicke has made one career start, doing so for the 2018 Panthers.

Although Smith returned from a calf injury to start in Washington’s Week 17 game, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes the 16th-year veteran struggled to loosen up the injured muscle this week in practice and did not make much progress. Not that anyone would question Smith’s desire to play after what he’s overcome to return to action, but Rapoport describes this as a functionality issue — rather than a pain-tolerance matter — that will keep Smith out.