Atlanta Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday’s matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. Here’s what you need to know:
- Heineke was removed from the game after being tackled by Zaven Collins on an 8-yard run with 13:58 remaining in the fourth quarter. He was replaced by Desmond Ridder, who rushed for a go ahead touchdown with 2:33 left in the game.
- Heineke was 8-for-15 passing for 55 yards and one touchdown before the injury.
- The veteran QB, who signed with Atlanta this offseason after three seasons with the Washington Commanders, replaced Ridder in a 28-23 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 9 and has started since.
What this means for Falcons
The Falcons offense had scored 48 points in six quarters with Heinicke on the field coming into the game, but he only had 55 passing yards when he exited the game. Falcons coach Arthur Smith had already indicated he was considering giving Ridder another shot at the starting job this season, so this gives him a chance to go back to the player he had hoped would be the quarterback of the future in Atlanta.
Ridder started the first eight games of the year for Atlanta but was benched midway through the Week 8 game against Tennessee. — Josh Kendall, Falcons beat writer
Required reading
(Photo: Norm Hall/Getty Images)
