Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith opted to name Taylor Heinicke the Week 16 starting quarterback rather than Desmond Ridder. Why was Ridder benched?
Desmond Ridder Benched, Taylor Heinicke To Start
Smith made the formal announcement Wednesday, naming Heinicke the starting quarterback over Ridder this Sunday.
In Sunday’s 9-7 loss to the then-one-win Carolina Panthers, Ridder led Atlanta to just 204 total yards and one touchdown and threw a critical red-zone interception halfway through the fourth quarter.
“The pick last weekend against Carolina was probably the dumbest play I’ve made in my career,” Ridder said. “That was just dumb. It was one, as soon as it left my hand, I wished I could’ve had back.”
After being benched, Ridder addressed the media and answered questions in the locker room.
“That’s just who I am,” Ridder said. “Like I told you guys last time, there’s many different ways you can take this, and there’s many different styles of personality that people can portray. But I’m a team player. Whoever is going to help out the team, I want the best for. Whether it’s energy or whatever it is, I’m not going to come out here moping around, be sad about it.
“Because, like I said, too, I’m so blessed to be in this position of where I’m at. I still woke up today, drove into the facility of the Atlanta Falcons.”
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Ridder maintained the starting quarterback role through Week 8, but after halftime during the loss to the Tennessee Titans, Heinicke took over.
Heinicke started in Weeks 9 and 10, leading the team to losses both times. After the Week 11 bye, Ridder was named the starting quarterback once again.
“Me and Des have a great relationship,” Heinicke said. “We talk through stuff, and we’re there for each other. Him being that young and kind of going through this type of year, it would be tough. I know in my position, my second year in the league, it would mess with me a little bit, so just making sure I’m there for him. He’s handled it really great.”
Ridder led the team to back-to-back wins after the bye and then two losses, the most recent being to the Panthers.
Ridder has had significant trouble avoiding turnovers this season. The pick during the game against the Panthers was his 10th this year, and he has also lost six of his 11 fumbles.
Ridder is only in his second season in the NFL. He was a third-round draft pick in 2022 and played as backup to Marcus Mariota as a rookie until the final four games of the season.
“The journey is not over for Desmond,” Smith said. “You look at the history of this league, there are plenty of quarterbacks (in different roles). But where we’re at right now as a team, we feel like Taylor gives us the best chance right now.”
The Falcons will take on the Colts on Sunday. Their playoff hopes are now a long shot after the tough loss to the Panthers.
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