Falcons make quarterback decision ahead of Week 12 Saints matchup
The Atlanta Falcons have decided on who they will start at quarterback for the remainder of the season. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Falcons will be "handing the ball back to their original starter," Desmond Ridder. Ridder will resume his job at QB1 when the Falcons return from their bye on Monday and […]
The Atlanta Falcons have decided on who they will start at quarterback for the remainder of the season.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Falcons will be "handing the ball back to their original starter," Desmond Ridder.
Ridder will resume his job at QB1 when the Falcons return from their bye on Monday and prepare for their Week 12 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.
Why Falcons are Benching Taylor Heinicke for Desmond Ridder
The Falcons initially turned to Taylor Hienicke over Ridder during halftime of Week 8's outing versus the Tennessee Titans.
Despite falling short to Tennessee, they decided to stick with Ridder against the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals. They lost all three of those matchups.
After losing to the Cardinals, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said he would make his decision over the bye. Even then, Smith had made it clear (again) that Ridder was never benched in the first place and that it was more so a learning and reset moment for him. So, that indicated that he'd likely be finishing the season under center.
We won't hear from Smith himself again until Monday when he speaks to the media, until then, his reasoning behind the switch is that "Ridder's mistakes were correctable."
"From what I'm told, the Falcons believed the bulk of Ridder's mistakes were correctable & felt he had a lot of learning to do," NFL Network's James Palmer reported on X/Twitter. "A move back to him was always planned unless Taylor Heinicke went on a ridiculous run. It wasn't like they fell out of love with Ridder. Needed a reset."
Ridder has completed 65.4 percent of his pass attempts for 1,740 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions in eight games so far this season. As for Heinicke, he ends his short stint completing 55.4 percent of passes for 498 yards with three touchdowns and one interception through three outings.
At 4-6 on the season, the Falcons playoff hopes are not necessarily dead, but they're also not alive. They'll need to start winning as soon as next Sunday when they face the Saints.
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