Falcons Make Significant Change on Offense Ahead of Week 9 vs. Vikings
Josh Frey
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This weekend, the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings will face off in an NFC battle that could help determine the playoff picture in January.
Both teams sit at 4-4 on the very edge of the NFC playoffs, and a win would go a long way towards ensuring that they make it.
Ahead of the game, though, both teams are making significant changes on offense. The Vikings are without Kirk Cousins for the rest of the year because of his Achilles injury. As a result, Jaren Hall is in line for his first career NFL start.
Meanwhile, the Falcons are also switching things up at QB. Instead of Desmond Ridder, Atlanta’s offense will feature Taylor Heinicke at the position when they take on Minnesota.
Falcons Make Significant Change on Offense Ahead of Week 9 vs. Vikings
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted the following on Wednesday morning, “The #Falcons are expected to start QB Taylor Heinicke this weekend, per coach Arthur Smith.”
Heinicke stepped into last week’s game against the Titans after Desmond Ridder left to be tested for a concussion. However, even after Ridder reportedly passed the tests, the veteran remained on the field for the remainder of the game.
During that game against the Titans, Heinicke completed 12 of his 21 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown while also adding 14 rushing yards to his statline. Still, Atlanta came up just short and lost 28-24 against Tennessee.
Heinicke had not played in a game during the season prior to Week 8 as Ridder had started every game to this point. It had not been an especially effective year for the second-year QB, though. In his eight starts, Ridder has put together 1701 yards and 6 TDs through the air compared to 6 INTs. Fumbles had been a big problem as well as he has put the ball on the ground 7 times.
Now, though, the Vikings will turn to prepare for a QB in Heinicke that they have some familiarity with from past games.
Last year in Washington, Heinicke threw for 149 yards, 2 TDs, and an interception during a 20-17 loss to Minnesota though 49 of those yards came on a TD pass to Curtis Samuel in which safety Camryn Bynum ran into a referee.
Overall, the former Old Dominion QB has established himself as a solid backup option despite being an undrafted free agent to begin his NFL career. Through six seasons, Heinicke has started 25 games, and his teams have gone 12-12-1 during them. He has thrown for a total of 5920 yards, 35 TDs, and 24 INTs.
Overall, Sunday will be a very tough test against a weathered Falcons team. They have a rookie QB making his first career start, and the Falcons defense has been a very tough test for opponents all season.
We’ll soon see how Hall handles this test when the game kicks off at 12 PM Central on Sunday, November 5th.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.