Washington loses Fitzpatrick early, then falls late to Chargers

LANDOVER — For 21 minutes Sunday afternoon, the Washington Football Team rode a wave of optimism, a feeling its fans hadn’t experienced for much of the past two decades. It had a new gunslinger quarterback, a deeper roster and the potential for another trip to the playoffs.

But with nine minutes left in the second quarter of its season-opening 20-16 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the roar suddenly quieted and uncertainty returned — seemingly greater than ever — as Washington’s starting quarterback writhed in pain in the middle of FedEx Field.

Los Angeles Chargers edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu sped past Washington left tackle Charles Leno Jr. and made a beeline for Ryan Fitzpatrick, slamming him to the ground on a pass play.

The 38-year-old quarterback lay motionless, then stood briefly only to crumble back down to the ground as trainers rushed onto the field. Fitzpatrick suffered a right hip injury that forced him to gingerly limp off the field and never return.

For a team all too familiar with quarterback injuries, the sight was gut-wrenching. That feeling never disappeared even as Taylor Heinicke took over and turned in a performance reminiscent of his postseason start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January. But Heinicke’s magic fell short as the Chargers rallied to the win.

Heinicke, the undrafted player who signed last year as Washington’s “quarantine” quarterback amid the coronavirus pandemic, again was heroic in Fitzpatrick’s absence, methodically leading Washington on a pair of scoring drives while completing 11 of 15 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown for a 119.3 passer rating.

A three-and-out for his first drive was marked by erratic throws, but Heinicke warmed up after the Chargers completed an 18-play drive that ended with a field goal and Los Angeles ahead 13-6.

Needing only five plays, Heinicke missed Terry McLaurin deep but drew a roughing-the-passer penalty that gave Washington a first down and 15 yards. Heinicke then hit tight end Logan Thomas — the team’s emergency and only backup quarterback after Fitzpatrick’s injury — with a pair of completions to help set up a 48-yard field goal by

Dustin Hopkins to close the half with Washington trailing by four.

And with that, Washington started to roll.

On the first drive of the second half, Heinicke threw a deep back-shoulder pass to McLaurin, who somehow caught it along the left sideline as a Chargers defender dived in front of him for an attempted interception. The 34-yard gain led to the team’s first touchdown of the afternoon, an 11-yard leaping catch by Thomas in the end zone to give Washington its first lead at 16-13.

Washington’s defense played erratically in the first half amid defensive line rotations, multiple missed tackles and loose coverage, but it tightened up in the second — at least for a while — to create some game-changing plays. Montez Sweat had a strip sack of Justin Herbert at Washington’s 15-yard line; the ball went out of bounds in the end zone for

a touchback.

Washington’s drive came up empty, thanks in part to a penalty on right guard Brandon Scherff that turned what would have been a 44-yard field goal attempt into a 51-yard try, out of Hopkins’s usual range. The kick was no good.

On Los Angeles’s next drive, cornerback William Jackson III picked off Herbert at Washington’s 4-yard line to give his team’s offense a chance to expand its lead early in the fourth quarter. But running back Antonio Gibson, who was the bell-cow back (20 carries for 90 yards) and primary offensive weapon for much of the game, fumbled on the first snap, giving the Chargers the ball at the 3-yard line.

The Chargers needed three plays — Herbert found Mike Williams in the corner of the end zone — to reclaim the lead.