Report: Alex Smith ‘trending the wrong way’ to play Saturday

It appears to be growing increasingly likely that Alex Smith won’t be able to start for the Washington Football Team in Saturday night’s Wild Card game.

Smith continues to deal with a lingering calf issue, and according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, is “trending the wrong way” to play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Smith came in sore on Friday, and Washington did not expect any improvement on that front Saturday.

Unless Smith’s calf rapidly improves, Taylor Heinicke is likely to be tasked with starting Saturday night opposite Tom Brady.

It’s an unfortunate way for Smith’s season to potentially end, and it’s pretty awful timing, too. No disrespect to Heinicke, but he’s not the guy Washington wants starting this game. He played just once during the 2020 season, going 12/19 for 137 yards and a touchdown in relief of Dwayne Haskins in Week 16.

Smith’s calf has been a concern for weeks, and his return in Week 17 was a huge deal. Unfortunately, he just couldn’t get completely healthy.