With the Falcons season on the line in New Orleans, Arthur Smith may have to rely on Desmond Ridder.
Taylor Heinicke took over for the former third-round pick following Atlanta’s embarrassing loss to Carolina, in which Ridder threw the game away late in the fourth quarter in the red zone.
Smith turned to Heinicke for the last two weeks, which netted wildly different results. It may have been the Falcons’ best performance of the season with a win over the Colts, but they followed it up with one of the worst against the Bears.
There’s been two quarterback changes, and there could be a third. The Falcons listed Heinicke as questionable on the injury report, leaving the door open for Ridder to start the most important game of the season.
Regardless of who starts, the game plan shouldn’t change. Run the football, get your top 10 draft picks involved, and make Derek Carr beat you through the air. And if you need a much wider known publication to tell you the same thing, Matt Bowen of ESPN has a real brain buster of a key to victory.
Key to victory: Use Bijan Robinson in the pass game.
In the first meeting with the Saints, Robinson produced 123 total yards. But I was more focused on the rookie running back’s deployment as a receiver, where he caught three passes for 32 yards and a touchdown. There were even more opportunities on the tape, with Robinson releasing out of the backfield on choice routes. Atlanta has to hit those throws.
With Taylor Heinicke now under center for the Falcons, coach Arthur Smith can scheme for Robinson on high-percentage targets to get him the ball in space versus underneath defenders. That’s where he can be an all-purpose playmaker in this matchup.
That’s some fascinating insight, Mr. Bowen! The Falcons generally stand a better chance to win football games when they involve Bijan Robinson in the game plan. Shocker, I know!
Hopefully, the Falcons end the season on a high note, regardless of the postseason situation. Beating the Saints is always a great thing, and the Falcons haven’t swept the Aints since 2016.
Who cares about draft position? Let’s just win a damn game.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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