What Arthur Smith said regarding the quarterback position following Week 15 loss to Carolina
The head coach did not pick a starting for Week 16, but stated that it will be a battle between Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke.
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During his Monday afternoon press conference, Arthur Smith did not select a starting quarterback. The Falcons’ head coach stated that he spoke with the quarterbacks prior to his meeting with local reporters, but that the team has not yet decided what to do with the signal caller position moving forward.
“(The decision is) not final,” Smith explained. “We’re still working through that.”
Smith stated that the Falcons must “make the best decision for the team” and that they will “circle back with those guys.”
The head coach was asked directly if Logan Woodside or a quarterback outside the building could be an option for the Falcons this Sunday. Smith’s response was a firm no, so the decision will be between Ridder and Heinicke.
The Falcons went to Heinicke in the weeks leading up to their Week 11 bye.
Heinicke suffered a hamstring injury in the Falcons’ Week 10 loss to the Cardinals, and Ridder took his place in the fourth quarter. Smith stated at the time that the Falcons did not want to play “musical chairs” at quarterback. They decided to bring Ridder back after the bye week with the understanding that he would finish the season for the Falcons. However, after the Falcons’ 9-7 loss in Charlotte, N.C., this past Sunday, Smith stated that “nothing is set in stone.”
Ridder completed 12-of-20 passes for 152 yards and one score at Charlotte. The game-changing play, however, was Ridder’s late-game interception, which set up the Panthers’ game-winning drive. When asked about the interception after the game, Ridder said he was attempting “to do too much,” and that he should have thrown it away or kept it and picked up a yard to live to fight another down.
Ridder has 10 interceptions and 11 fumbles in 2023, according to Scott Bair’s post-game column, including five turnovers in the red zone. This season, he has also turned the ball over twice within the Falcons’ 20-yard line.
Through his appearance in four games this season, Heinicke was 41-of-74 through the air for 498 passing yards, three touchdowns, one interception and a 55.4 completion percentage.
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