Arthur Smith eludes to one Falcons QB starter for rest of season

The Falcons made the decision to start Taylor Heinicke against the Vikings instead of Desmond Ridder, and the results were middling.

The veteran provided a spark, producing more big-time plays, but he was also as careless and potentially more wreckless with the ball than the third-round pick. Arthur Smith is stuck between a rock and a hard place with the quarterback situation; it’s his own fault for the position the Falcons find themselves.

But there’s still half of the season to be played, and the club has control of their playoff destiny, so there’s no time to point fingers.

Arthur Smith announced earlier in the week that Taylor Heinicke would start this week against the Cardinals, which was to be expected. What wasn’t anticipated was Smith telling reporters that he and his staff would evaluate the quarterback position during the bye week, eluding to a potential change but a permanent one at that. “We’re not going to play musical chairs.”

Falcons HC Arthur Smith on the QBs: "We're not going to play musical chairs."

Whoever they go with after the bye will likely be the quarterback the rest of the way.

— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) November 8, 2023

I wrote before the Vikings game that Atlanta was essentially waving the white flag on Ridder if they benched him. How often does a young quarterback get benched and then come back to be a capable starter in this league? The list is very short, and the list of third-round picks who have done so is nonexistent. The odds were stacked against Ridder to begin with, and now they’re insurmountable.

That still might not stop Arthur Smith from turning back to him, and the head coach might be right. Taylor Heinicke might give the Falcons the best chance of winning today, but he’s incredibly reckless with the ball and inaccurate.

There’s no obvious answer here. Heinicke hasn’t gotten much work with the starters, so he deserves another start to prove he’s capable of leading the Falcons down the home stretch. If he doesn’t improve his play, I guess the Falcons have to turn back to Ridder.

It’s like picking between the lesser of two evils. The Falcons don’t know who their quarterback is going to be for the rest of the 2023 campaign.

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