In the midst of another disappointing offensive output, and after being evaluated for a concussion, Desmond Ridder has seen an interruption to his time as the Falcons’ starting quarterback. Taylor Heinicke has stepped in under center for the second half of Atlanta’s Week 8 contest. 
Ridder got the start once again, continuing the QB1 status he has had throughout his second year in Atlanta. The Falcons managed just three points in the first half of their ongoing game against the Titans, however, and Ridder suffered an injury which prompted a concussion evaluation. The 24-year-old has been cleared, but in spite of that the team has turned to Heinicke in search of a spark.
The latter signed a two-year, $14MM deal this offseason after a his three-year spell in Washington, one during which he had an extended run as a starter in 2021. At a minimum, the veteran of 33 games and 25 starts was acquired to provide an experienced insurance option behind Ridder in the event of missed time. Instead, performance issues have prompted a switch for at least the remainder of this week’s contest.
Ridder went 8-for-12 passing for 71 scoreless yards before receiving the hook. On the season, the 2022 third-rounder has put up a similar completion percentage (65.4%) to his rookie campaign, but his six interceptions have marked a regression from the ball security he demonstrated last year. His passer rating has taken a slight step back from his limited action in 2022, despite eclipsing 300 passing yards twice this year.
Expectations were tempered for Ridder and the Falcons’ offense given the uncertainty surrounding Ridder. The Cincinnati product took over for Marcus Mariota for the final four games last year, but questions surrounded his ability to lead an improvement in the passing game. Entering Week 8, Atlanta ranked mid-pack with an average of 236 yards through the air, while remaining strong in the ground game as expected. For now, at least, Heinicke will receive the opportunity to take charge of the offense as the Falcons look to remain atop the NFC South.
Heinicke has a 12-12-1 carer record, having established himself as a high-floor, low-ceiling option at the QB spot. It will be interesting to see how he fares in the second half today, and how the team approaches Ridder’s status as the starter moving forward.
Heinicke always finds a way to get a starting job during the season. Must have a sense or something.
The trick is to hold onto the starting job when an opportunity falls in your lap. Most backups lack the consistency to do that.
You would like to think with Heinicke playing, that could unlock the vast potential of the Atlanta offense but I think the problem there is Arthur Smith and until he’s gone, Robinson, London, and Pitts will suffer.
The problem is not Smith. The problem is everyone wants those guys to put up big numbers for fantasy, but Smith has done a great job getting wins with what many evaluators pegged as a team in the 29-32 range talent wise.
His system is absolutely fine, but no, it won’t lead to big fantasy numbers as a general rule, but it ‘can’ lead to wins. London won’t get big press for it, but he was generally excellent at blocking last year, and I wish the media would cover that stuff more often.
The media will probably give blocking receivers big press about the same time they provide a highlight reel of great tackling punters.
Don’t you want top 10 picks to put up big numbers? That’s what they are drafted so high.
Literally his 3rd team to start for. Maybe when he approaches Fitzpatrick’s 9 I’ll be a little impressed
Thank God. Ridder is a dang turnover machine.
I was completely behind Ridder at the start of the season (mainly because his contract was favorable and I thought he had upside). I have now changed my mind. I don’t see enough growth and the offense generally looks listless with him out there. Within two plays you could tell the vibe had changed with Heinicke.
Opposing coaches just know that Ridder doesn’t get rid of the ball as quickly and so they blitz and it disrupts the offense. Some of that is the route tree, some of it is blocking, but it was the same tree and blockers when Hienicke took the field and he was getting the passes out quickly enough to force the defense to back off. Then with the extra time he was dropping dimes.
If not for Van Jefferson’s complete whiff on an easy first-down catch, I think the Falcons might have come back. Even with the miss, the Falcons scored 20 points in a half, which is MORE than enough to win games with their clock-chewing offensive-style.
Welllll, I’m going to counter that with why would a team draft a TE, a WR, and a RB in the top 10 three years in a row if you don’t (or shouldn’t) expect big numbers from them? You have the talent, and I would not agree that the Falcons are 29-32 in offensive talent. Overall team talent? Maybe, but then again if that’s the case, why put so much draft capital into offensive skill position players you would expect to produce? You should be building from the inside out and add to the O-line and D-lines.
Also, I’ll mention that the Falcons are 4th in scrimmage plays but right at the top edge of the bottom-third in total offensive TDs (21st). They’re just simply not scoring enough points, like today. You can blame the D for losing today’s game but the Titans are middle-of-the-pack in defensive yards per game and Atlanta is 12th in offensive yards per game. Yards are easier to get (between the 20s) than points and they’re just not using their playmakers to score.