Taylor Heinicke will get the start this week for the Atlanta Falcons. He also will have the opportunity to seize the job for good. Falcons head coach Arthur Smith admitted Wednesday he'll make a decision on his starting quarterback after the bye week, which the Falcons have in Week 11. Heinicke will start against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, then Smith will use the bye week to evaluate the position.
"Yeah, unless there's an unforeseen injury or something happens," Smith said, via a team transcript. "I mean things come up all the time that you don't account for, but you have to have a plan and a contingency. Life happens sometimes off the field, too. You have to be aware of that. A lot of things that can affect people. You see it around in every industry."
Heinicke made his first start in Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings and completed 21 of 38 passes for 268 yards with a touchdown and interception for a 75.3 rating. The numbers weren't much better than Desmond Ridder has been, as Ridder completed 65.4% of his passes for 1,506 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions for an 84.0 rating.
For now, the Falcons are going with the veteran Heinicke. They are still in the NFC South race -- and the playoff race.
"Right now, in the short term, we feel like where we're at with everything we've got going on right now, that Taylor gives us the best chance," Smith said. "We're not going to play musical chairs. The
