The Atlanta Falcons got off to a somewhat promising start to the season, winning games most people thought they could’ve lost.
Even so, their offensive woes have persisted with Desmond Ridder at QB, with the second-year pro showing no signs of improvement from his rocky rookie season.
That’s why HC Arthur Smith has decided to replace him with Taylor Heinicke, who’ll be QB1 for their must-win matchup vs. the Minnesota Vikings, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
A new QB in Atlanta: Falcons’ HC Arthur Smith named Taylor Heinicke as the starting QB for Sunday’s game vs. the Vikings.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 1, 2023
Smith didn’t confirm whether this would be a permanent decision, but with his team sitting on a 4-4 record, it may be for good.
Ridder is currently leading the league in turnovers with six interceptions and seven fumbles through eight games, averaging more than one giveaway per game.
He also has seven turnovers in the last three games alone.
Heinicke always looked like a safer choice for the Falcons, but it made sense for them to double down on their commitment to Ridder to see what they had in their hands with him this season.
Now that Heinicke replaced him at halftime and looked much better vs. the Tennessee Titans, it became evident that the Cincinnati product wasn’t the player they needed for their future.
Heinicke has stared 25 games in his six-year NFL career, and while his upside might not be sky-high, he could make the most of the Falcons’ plethora of promising weapons, such as Drake London and Bijan Robinson.
As for Kyle Pitts, it’ll be up to the coaching staff to get him more involved, and it’s hard to understand why he hasn’t gotten 10 to 15 targets every single week.
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