Atlanta Falcons fans and fantasy football players were incredibly frustrated so far this year by the subpar play of Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder. But, their nightmare may be over, as Ridder was benched on Sunday in the Falcons’ 28-23 loss to the Titans.
Ridder was replaced by former Washington Commander Taylor Heinicke, who had the offense looking much better than Ridder did.
Simply put, this is a talented offense in terms of weapons, with a pretty decent offensive line, that Ridder was holding back. The team has used high first-round picks on running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London, and tight end Kyle Pitts in the last three years. And, on the offensive line, there are above-average starters in Jake Matthews, Kaleb McGary and All-Pro Chris Lindstrom.
But, the third-round pick in 2022 has simply turned the ball over too much this year, and is too limited as a passer to make up for it.
Coming into today’s game, he had eight turnovers in six games, with six coming as interceptions. And, an early fumble in Sunday’s contest gave him nine turnovers. That seemed to be one too many for Falcons coach Arthur Smith. And, after a half in which he threw for just 71 yards and was sacked five times, Arthur Smith went with former Washington Commanders starting quarterback Taylor Heinicke.
And, after scoring just three points in the first half, the Falcons offense was much better in the second half. They scored 20 points, nearly coming back from a 14-3 deficit to win the game. They actually had the ball with a drive for the win. But, a fourth-down throw by Taylor Heinicke was dropped by Van Jefferson to stop the comeback attempt. Still, it was a much better overall performance than Ridder, as he was 12/21 for 175 yards and a touchdown.
Here is where it gets interesting, though. Head Coach Arthur Smith said after the game that Ridder was not benched for performance reasons, and Heinicke said it’s Ridder’s team.
At 4-4, the Falcons are tied for first in the division, and currently own the tiebreaker. There’s no reason to not start the better player, and that’s Taylor Heinicke. But, it sounds like Arthur Smith may not agree.
They’ll take on the Vikings next week, who are almost certainly going to be without Kirk Cousins. It seems like a good week to break Heinicke in as starter.