The Atlanta Falcons made a bold move with their starting lineup in Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings. They opted to replace Desmond Ridder as the starting quarterback, going with Taylor Heinicke in his place.
Head coach Arthur Smith would not commit to either person beyond the game against the Vikings, as the quarterback situation was a week-to-week situation. Alas, Heinicke did enough against the Vikings to get at least one more start.
Smith shared on Monday that he will make his second start of the season against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 10. Again, Smith reiterated this could be a one-week decision, as the coaching staff will figure things out after the bye in Week 11.
“We will go with Taylor this week,” Smith said. “And reassess going into the bye.”
Heinicke completed 55.3 percent of his passes against the Vikings, throwing for 268 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the 31-28 loss. Points had been tough to come by for Atlanta, who have scored 48 points in the six quarters Heinicke has been under center.
Before the 20 points were scored in the second half against the Tennessee Titans in Week 8 and the 28 against the Vikings, the Falcons had surpassed the 20-point plateau only once in five games. Heinicke has certainly been more productive in his stint, but the team didn’t get a victory over a Minnesota squad that deployed Joshua Dobbs at quarterback despite having zero practice reps with his new team.
Heinicke will have a chance to cement his status as the Falcons’ starter going forward if he has another good performance against the Cardinals in Week 10. Smith has noted that the team won’t be rotating quarterbacks or using a two-quarterback system. The bye will be used to evaluate a rest-of-season option.
“That’s kind of where we’re at and everything that’s going on,” Smith said. “That bye will be a good time to assess, and you certainly don’t plan on it being so week-to-week after that. But we need to do everything we can to go get this win out in Arizona.
“That’s going to be our ultimate focus this week.”
Another 20+ point performance by Heinicke would all but seal up his standing as the Falcons’ starter going forward. Accomplishing something for a third straight time that Ridder accomplished only three times in eight starts would give him a leg up in the race.
Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here. Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network.
