Taylor Heinicke will remain Washington Commanders' starting QB for Week 11

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera named Taylor Heinicke the starting quarterback against the Houston Texans in Week 11.

While speaking to the media on Wednesday, Rivera said that Carson Wentz has been cleared to throw, but Heinicke will retain his starting spot for now.

"We haven't designated him for return yet to practice," Rivera said of Wentz, who fractured his finger in Week 6 against the Chicago Bears, which opened the door for Heinicke to start. "He was working on the side, well, actually, he was working down on the field with the training staff today, but again, he wasn't designated for return, so we will start Taylor this week."

Heinicke has led the Commanders to three wins, including beating the Green Bay Packers and handing the Philadelphia Eagles their first loss on Monday night. He's gone 75-of-121 for 840 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions in four games.

Rivera noted how Heinicke's success helps remove a sense of urgency to get Wentz back on the field.

"We have time. That's the really good thing that it is on our side," he said. "He's done some good things and we'll see how it happens this week. To me, it's part of having to make a decision. You've got to be realistic, you've got to watch and you've got to see. And that's what we've been doing, we've been paying attention to it. We've been paying attention to not just an individual as much as it affects the unit and the team. So having the situation is a pretty good one. It's a good problem to have."

Heinicke said that he doesn't feel the pressure to prove himself as the starter.

"It's one of those things where hey, coach told me I was up this week, so just doing everything I can to prepare for Houston and try and go get a win," he told reporters Wednesday. "Team's playing really well right now, I think what, we've got seven more games, so hopefully we can. just keep this thing rolling and see what happens."

Heinicke has developed as a team player and fan favorite.

After the win over the Packers, he started a tradition of buying a pair of Air Jordan sneakers in the colorway of his opponent for every win he's a part of. This week, he purchased Metallic Green Air Jordan 4s to commemorate the upset over the Eagles.

He celebrated with his teammates on the airplane home from Philadelphia on Monday, wearing their chains a la Kirk Cousins and drinking some beer.

"Honestly, I was just hanging out in my seat, enjoying the win and next thing you know, a lot of guys start throwing their chains on me," he said, "so I wasn't going to stop them. It was fun."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Taylor Heinicke named starting QB for Commanders against Texans