Taylor Heinicke Did the Lambeau Leap After a Touchdown That Got Overturned

In Monday’s Hot Clicks: an embarrassing moment for Washington’s quarterback, Daniel Jones’s absurd grab and more.

At least he has the screenshot

Getting to start an NFL game at Lambeau Field was a dream come true for Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke. The 28-year-old grew up as a big Packers fan whose favorite player was Brett Favre, influenced by his late father’s love for Green Bay.

Washington came up short against the Packers on Sunday, losing 24–10, but Heinicke was solid enough. He completed 25 of 37 passes for 268 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. He also added 95 yards rushing on 10 carries. His day would have been even better if a third-quarter rushing touchdown had held up.

After leading a long drive into the red zone, Heinicke scrambled for what looked like a three-yard touchdown run. After he crossed the goal line, he scanned the front row for a friendly face wearing burgundy-and-gold and executed a flawless Lambeau Leap.

Taylor Heinicke, who grew up a Packers fan, does the Lambeau Leap… and it turns out he didn’t even score on the play. pic.twitter.com/MjWNzcpaec

— Jake Russell (@_JakeRussell) October 24, 2021

He must have been dreaming of that moment since he was a kid. And unfortunately, the celebration was entirely unwarranted. Heinicke’s touchdown got wiped off the board upon review because he dove headfirst and hit the ground before he crossed the goal line.

Heinicke said Rodgers told him about his TD in 2020 that was reversed for the same reason.

Rule 7, Sec. 2, Article 1 was changed in 2018: "When a runner slides feet OR head first, the ball is dead the instant he touches the ground with anything other than his hands or his feet." pic.twitter.com/PNHsbBHEL4

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) October 25, 2021

A rule change implemented before the start of the 2018 season treats dives the same as slides. Once a ballcarrier gives himself up, forward progress is stopped when he first hit the ground. Heinicke didn’t need to dive to get into the end zone, but his knee clearly hit the ground before the ball crossed the plane.

Heinicke’s dive gave Washington a fourth-and-goal from the 1 and he had a chance to redeem himself (and do a more legitimate Lambeau Leap) with a QB sneak. Except he got stuffed, fumbled the ball, recovered it and still ended up short of the goal line.

Taylor Heinicke:

- did a Lambeau Leap after scoring a rush TD
- had that TD overturned because he dove short of the goal line
- fumbled on the ensuing 4th down QB sneak
- regained the ball and was stopped short pic.twitter.com/4f9q8ZGbwF

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 24, 2021

There is absolutely no way Taylor Heinicke got in the endzone move on with the Packers show please thank you!! #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/w3amfc0lPF

— Alex Monaco (@Alex__Monaco) October 24, 2021

Heinicke thought he scored on both plays.

“I don’t want to get into specifics, but I felt like I was in there both times,” Heinicke said after the game. “I don’t want to get fined up here so I’m not going to get into specifics.”

Of course he feels that way, but the plays were pretty clear-cut. That makes his premature Lambeau Leap all the more embarrassing. And unfortunately for Heinicke, as a backup quarterback playing in a different division than the Packers, it’s unlikely he’ll get another chance to redeem himself. 

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— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) October 24, 2021

Daniel Jones did his best OBJ impersonation 😂 pic.twitter.com/gja13hTtl4

— ESPN (@espn) October 24, 2021

Flawless timing

Right where it needed to be 🎯 pic.twitter.com/7EVUMDDqwB

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) October 24, 2021

Fans who end up with pieces of history can always hold out for more

"[The Tampa Bay official] gave him another game ball and promised him some sort of signed jersey." @tracywolfson discusses what it took to get Brady's 600th TD pass ball back from a fan 😂 pic.twitter.com/TsWnPJ8WAe

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 24, 2021

Byron Kennedy (dude who gave Brady's 600th ball back): "I was hesitant to give it back. I knew how much it meant to Tom and I was willing to trade." He was told he'll get some swag. #Bucs

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The fan would have never ended up with the ball if Mike Evans realized it was No. 600

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— SB Nation (@SBNation) October 24, 2021

This was actually ruled a fumble after the fact, but that doesn’t make it any better

Bosa's pressure forces the red zone INT #FTTB @nbsmallerbear

📺: #INDvsSF on NBC
📱: https://t.co/0BsFu0O0rZ pic.twitter.com/bSkEp5w2eG

— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2021

Oh, great, another way for Derrick Henry to make you look stupid

WILDKING 👑 #NationalTightEndsDay

📺: Watch #KCvsTEN on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/v9BsiL7jbG

— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 24, 2021

The broadcast booth is not a bar

Insane moment on Ravens radio as a fan tries to climb into the broadcast booth looking for a drink: pic.twitter.com/RIA8lQjk4v

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) October 24, 2021

Dumping red wine on one another in the clubhouse sounds like more fun than champagne showers

.@yungjoc650 is more of a wine guy 🍷 pic.twitter.com/AYmqrtaKZ0

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 24, 2021

There were 30,000 fans and no one wanted a better seat

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Kansas practically begged people to show up

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As good a reason as any

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1, 2, 3 goals for Mohamed Salah

What a ridiculous goal

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— simon zwartkruis (@simonzwartkruis) October 24, 2021

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