Commanders go back to Carson Wentz after consecutive Taylor Heinicke turnovers help set up 49ers win

The Washington Commanders benched Taylor Heinicke in favor of Carson Wentz on Saturday after turnovers on consecutive possessions set the San Francisco 49ers up with a 16-point lead.

He didn't, however, rally Washington to victory. The 49ers held on for a 37-20 win, their eighth straight, to improve to 11-4 as they continue to thrive with Brock Purdy at quarterback.

Heinicke kept Washington close while completing 13-of-18 passes for 166 yards as San Francisco led 21-14 in the third quarter. But a pair of turnovers against San Francisco's swarming defense doomed Washington's hopes. Heinicke fumbled on a fourth-quarter sack by Nick Bosa deep in Washington territory to set up a 49ers field goal.

A possession later, Heinicke threw an interception to Jimmie Ward that allowed San Francisco to extend its lead to 16 points with another field goal.

Head coach Ron Rivera had seen enough. On the next possession, the Commanders went back to Wentz at quarterback.

Washington traded for Wentz during the offseason with the hope that he could provide stability at the position. He did not. The Commanders went 2-4 to start the season as Wentz turned the ball over seven times. Wentz fractured a finger and landed on injured reserve after a Week 6 win over the Chicago Bears. Heinicke took over under center and led Washington to five wins in six games to get into playoff contention.

When Wentz returned from injured reserve in Week 13, Heinicke remained the starter. But Rivera never fully committed to Heinicke and kept him on a short leash against the league's best defense on Saturday.

Will Carson Wentz or Taylor Heinicke start next week?

After the game, Rivera didn't commit to a starter for the Week 17 home game against the Cleveland Browns, but did say he would make a decision early in the week.

The Commanders end the day at 7-7-1, which was still good enough to maintain control of the NFC's seventh and final playoff spot. They host the Browns and then the Dallas Cowboys to close out the regular season.