When Taylor Heinicke came off the bench for Desmond Ridder in the second half of the Falcons game in Nashville against the Tennessee Titans that was the Heinicke that Arthur Smith and Falcons fans wanted to see. A quarterback that isn’t afraid to pull the trigger, extends plays with his legs, and pushes the ball down the field, and even though the Falcons ended up losing that game Heinicke definitely gave the offense a spark.
However, when Heinicke started the next two games against the Vikings and Cardinals it also seemed like Heinicke was a shell of himself. Taylor seemed reluctant to cut the ball loose, and it looked like he played very conservative in those two starts he made, and that resulted in two losses and the Falcons going back to Desmond Ridder.
The Falcons can’t afford to have a conservative offensive game plan, or a conservative quarterback, and earlier today The Morning Shift explained why they expect Arthur Smith to open up the offense and let Taylor Heinicke be free to be the gunslinger that he is.
It’s hard to tell if it was Arthur Smith and the Falcons game plan to be a little more conservative in those two starts Heinicke made, or if Taylor was just trying to play it safe after he saw Desmond Ridder get benched because of his constant turnovers, maybe it was a combination of both, but with Atlanta’s playoff hopes on life support don’t be surprised if you see Arthur Smith, Taylor Heinicke, and the Falcons offense lay it all out on the line in their final home game on Sunday against the Colts.