Michael RothsteinESPN Staff Writer1 Minute Read
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In a surprising move, the Atlanta Falcons decided to replace starting quarterback Desmond Ridder with Taylor Heinicke at the beginning of the second half during their 28-23 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
The Falcons cited a potential concussion evaluation for Ridder, but soon announced that he had been cleared. As the second half began, Ridder was seen on the bench wearing a hat, remaining engaged with the offense, while Heinicke made his first appearance of the season on the field.
This quarterback switch followed a difficult first half for Ridder, where he completed only 8 of 12 passes for 71 yards. He struggled under pressure, getting sacked five times and losing a fumble, marking his fourth lost fumble in the last two weeks. Ridder also had three carries for 26 yards.
Heinicke stepped in and led the Falcons to a field goal with a solid seven-play, 44-yard drive. He had an impressive performance, completing 12 of 21 passes for 175 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown pass to Scott Miller. Atlanta showed resilience in the second half, scoring 20 points.
After his successful initial drive, Heinicke took a seat on the bench next to offensive coordinator Dave Ragone, a position typically occupied by Ridder after his drives this season.
During the offseason, Atlanta signed Heinicke as Ridder’s backup quarterback.
Unfortunately, the Falcons also faced another setback as defensive tackle Grady Jarrett suffered a knee injury early in the game’s first defensive series. He was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the game. Jarrett has been a key player on the Falcons’ defense during their transition from the Dan Quinn era to the Arthur Smith era over the past three years.
