Outplaying Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers

When PJ Walker and Taylor Heinicke entered their respective games in game week seven, nobody knew what was in store. Walker was up against a six-time Super Bowl champion. Heinicke, on the other hand, squared off with another legend of the game. They both emerged victorious at the end of the proceedings on Sunday Night Football.

While the Carolina Panthers almost shut out Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Walker was running riot at the other end. Walker was playing just the twelfth game of his NFL career. He ended up having a 177-yard game. He threw two touchdown passes. Walker attempted 22 passes in the game, completing 17 of those. The Panthers won 21-3.

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Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers gave a lot of fight to Heinicke and the Washington Commanders. But in the end, the 2011 Super Bowl champion could not do enough to stop him and his team. The young quarterback threw 201-yards and completed 20 of his 33 pass attempts. He threw two touchdowns and one of his passes was intercepted. The Commanders edged past the Packers 23-21.

The rise of PJ Walker and Taylor Heinicke

PJ Walker joined the Temple Owls in 2013. He threw 10,668 yards in his college career playing in the AAC. Walker had a 56.9 pass completion rate. He was not drafted by any team in the 2017 NFL draft. Walker signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent.

Walker signed for the XFL side Houston Roughnecks in 2020 and finished as the league passing leader. He was also the leader in passing touchdowns. Walker, then, re-entered the NFL with the Carolina Panthers in 2021.

Taylor Heinicke started his NFL career at the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2015. The Old Dominion alumni then went to the New England Patriots in September 2017. He got released from the Patriots practice squad in October of that year. In November, he went to the Houston Texans and made his NFL debut on Christmas that year against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Heinicke has also been part of the Panthers and XFL outfit St Louis Battle Hawks. In December 2020, he signed up for the Commanders.

These quarterbacks aren’t the first choice for their teams. Maybe they will be now.

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