Tom Brady’s Bucs prevailed 31-23, but Taylor Heinicke sure made it a heck of a game. Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Taylor Heinicke’s surprisingly stellar play was the story despite his team’s loss on Saturday night, and the third-string quarterback left even his fellow NFL stars impressed.

Heinicke started for Washington against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their NFC wild-card game on Saturday night in place of Alex Smith. He threw for 306 yards, a touchdown, an interception, and rushed for 46 yards and a touchdown.

His incredible dive into the pylon for a touchdown in the third quarter left even Patrick Mahomes impressed.

Mahomes loved the show Heinicke was putting on.

Then after Heinicke threw a beautiful touchdown pass in the end zone to Steven Sims Jr., Tom Brady reacted by saying “unbelievable.”

Brady’s Bucs prevailed 31-23, but Heinicke sure made it a heck of a game. He rightly earned the respect of his peers with that performance.

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