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It sounds less and less likely by the day Alex Smith will play against the Buccaneers on Saturday. The Washington football team called him doubtful on Thursday and he remains doubtful on Friday night.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports Smith’s injured right calf is still hurting and “did not come loose.” That comes down to how Smith predicts Saturday night.
Regardless, it’s clear that Smith is not 100 percent and will not be 100 percent per kick.
Washington wants to give Smith, who started 5-0 in his last five times and has seven playoff games in his career, every chance to play. But Taylor Heinicke, who took most of the first team representatives this week, is 100 percent. So, how many percent is Smith better than one hundred percent Heinicke?
It sounds like a lose-lose for Washington in its first playoff game since 2015.
Smith started a win-or-go-home-week 17 game, but he threw two interceptions and apparently got worse out of the game for carrying. Heinicke only joined the team in December and started one NFL, which came in 2018 for Carolina.
The chances are likely that Heinicke’s second career will come in his first playoff game.