The Washington Football Team will start Taylor Heinicke at quarterback in Saturday's wild-card matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team announced.
Veteran QB Alex Smith is inactive for the playoff tilt due to his persisting calf injury. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Smith sitting out is "a matter of pain tolerance but instead functionality."
Heinicke, the fourth signal-caller to start for Washington this season, will make his second NFL start and first playoff appearance in Saturday's bout with the Bucs. He Rookie Steven Montez—who's yet to play an NFL game—will backup Heinicke.