Rivera would like to see Heinicke play in more of a ‘game-manager way’

Washington coach Ron Rivera met with the media on Monday, one day after Washington’s ugly 43-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Rivera discussed several topics, from his struggling defense to quarterback Taylor Heinicke.

Heinicke completed 14 of 24 passes for 212 yards in his third start for Washington, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. It was Heinicke’s worst performance since signing with Washington last December.

Washington quickly went down 14-0, leading Heinicke to attempt to do much, and he threw his first interception of the day. The Bills would score, making it 21-0.

Rivera discussed Heinicke’s play on Monday and said he’d like him to play more of a “game-manager” role, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.

“I’d like to see him do things in more of a game-manager way,” Rivera said. “Sometimes, that is really just taking what’s given to you. It might be a simple check-down on third-and-8 and give the guy a chance to catch and turn and run and see if he can pick it up.”

Heinicke has a bit of a gunslinger mindset. Rivera would like to see Heinicke keep his aggression while reining things in at times. Ideally, Heinicke would still attack downfield but take what’s given to him, much like Alex Smith did.

It will certainly be interesting to see how Heinicke bounces back after his first rough start. Washington plays the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.