BREAKING NEWS: Falcons head coach Arthur Smith name starting QB over Desmond Ridder, huge fans reactions

Desmond Ridder of the Atlanta Falcons has been demoted to the bench, with backup Taylor Heinicke taking over at quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts in Atlanta.

Ridder has 21 turnovers this season, and the Falcons have dropped two games in eight days to fall out of first place in the NFC South. His interception on a potential game-winning drive against Carolina last Sunday was a critical error that head coach Arthur Smith could not overlook.

 

Smith hinted at another change on Monday, saying he didn’t want to be in a position where he had to switch quarterbacks this late in the season.
“That’s usually not a great situation to have,” he said. “You want to be fair and objective, and you obviously want to give people a chance.” It was a faith in him, regardless of what happened. Nobody’s career is over, but we have to do what is best for this team right now.

“Big-picture questions remain unanswered, such as whether benching Ridder for the second time in seven weeks means the end of the Falcons’ tenure with the 2022 third-round pick.

However, despite losing two straight to division rivals Tampa Bay and Carolina, Atlanta is still very much alive for the postseason. In the South, the Falcons are one game behind the Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints.
The Falcons (6-8) are also just one game back in the wild-card race heading into Sunday’s regular-season finale at home against the Colts (8-6) before trips to Chicago and New Orleans to finish the season.

“We had a great opportunity and unfortunately, we’ve lost two games in eight days,” Smith was quoted as saying. “That’s on us.” It’s not anyone else’s fault but ours. But there’s still hope, and we need to rally and prepare for a really good Indianapolis team that’s coming in here.

“Against the Panthers, Ridder was 12-of-20 passing for 152 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He has passed for 2,528 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. Ridder has also scored five touchdowns on the ground. But he’s thrown 10 interceptions, fumbled 11 times, and turned the ball over five times in the red zone.

In a Week 9 loss to Minnesota, Heinicke completed 21 of 38 passes for 268 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also started in Week 10’s 25-23 loss to Arizona, completing 8 of 15 passes for 55 yards and a touchdown before being replaced by Ridder in the fourth quarter due to a hamstring injury.