<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/chargers-news-taylor-heinicke-learns-trade-watching-michigan-documentary');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chargers’ Taylor Heinicke learns of trade while watching Michigan documentary');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Chargers-news-Taylor-Heinicke-learns-of-trade-while-watching-Michigan-documentary.jpg"></figure><h1>Chargers’ Taylor Heinicke learns of trade while watching Michigan documentary</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-03T00:56:50-07:00">September 3rd, 12:56am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-03T00:56:50-07:00">September 3rd, 12:56am</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Ahead of Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/chargers-news-la-trades-for-29-game-starter-add-qb-depth-behind-justin-herbert">Los Angeles Chargers traded for Taylor Heinicke</a> from the Atlanta Falcons. The new backup quarterback should provide a big boost to their QB depth behind Justin Herbert, as they try to win while keeping their QB1 healthy. The veteran Heinicke’s arrival should also provide a veteran presence and guidance to Easton Stick, the team’s other quarterback. While the Chargers’ new acquisition settles in, he also recalled how he found out that the Falcons were dealing him.</p><p>Apparently Falcons coach Raheem Morris called Heinicke up to tell him about the Chargers deal while he was watching a Michigan sign-stealing documentary.</p><p>“I was like, ‘Oh, that’s funny. I was just watching Jim Harbaugh,'” the quarterback said, as <a href="https://x.com/krisrhim1/status/1830762680166293980" rel="noopener">reported</a> by Kris Rhim on X, formerly Twitter.</p><h2><b>Chargers outlook</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Taylor-Heinicke-throwing-a-pass.jpg"><figcaption>© Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Prior to the Chargers deal, Taylor Heinicke played for the Washington Commanders and the Atlanta Falcons. However, <a href="https://www.essentiallysports.com/nfl-active-news-i-was-just-watching-jim-harbaugh-taylor-heinickes-hilarious-story-about-the-chargers-trade/" rel="noopener">his best stint</a> was with the Commanders in 2021, where he started 15 games and passed for 3,419 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. Recently, he has also started 13 out of his last 14 games, covering the past two seasons.</p><p>His production must have impressed Jim Harbaugh enough to want to trade for him, particularly as Justin Herbert’s injury history remains a nagging thorn in their side. For instance, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/chargers-news-justin-herbert-returns-practice-after-injury-layoff">Herbert had only recently returned to practice</a> since a plantar fascia injury to his right foot on August 1. Thankfully, the star quarterback seems to be available for their Week 1 opener against the Las Vegas Raiders.</p><p>Speaking about his new backup QB, Harbaugh was positive.</p><p>“I like him and his body of work,” the former Michigan coach said. “When he quarterbacks a team, they are competitive. He throws with good accuracy and plays his game.”</p><p>Moreover, Heinicke himself seems to have the right attitude coming into his fifth team in seven seasons.</p><p>“Justin has the arm talent that Easton [Stick] and I don’t have and that’s just the truth of the matter,” he said. “So, if we were to go out there and try to be like him, I don’t think that’s our best football. I like that they’ve noticed that and that we just have to go out there and play our best game.”</p><h2><b>Other moves</b></h2><p>Prior to the Heinicke trade with the Falcons, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/chargers-news-los-angeles-reunites-jim-harbaugh-former-michigan-rb-after-titans-release">Chargers also signed running back Hassan Haskins</a>, claiming him off waivers and reuniting him with Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. Additionally, they’ve also locked in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/chargers-news-la-cameron-dicker-passes-evan-mcpherson-22-million-contract">Cameron Dicker to a four-year, $22.004-million extension</a> with $12.5 million in guaranteed money.</p><p>Will a new coach and a new quarterback, among other roster moves, spark a turnaround for the Chargers after a disastrous 2023 campaign?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chargers’ Taylor Heinicke learns of trade while watching Michigan documentary

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/falcons-news-taylor-heinicke-on-tenuous-roster-standing-after-preseason-finale');   ga('set', 'title', 'Taylor Heinicke gets real on tenuous roster standing after Falcons preseason finale');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/0Taylor-Heinicke-gets-real-on-tenuous-roster-standing-after-preseason-finale-0.jpg"></figure><h1>Taylor Heinicke gets real on tenuous roster standing after Falcons preseason finale</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-24T09:04:01-07:00">August 24th, 9:04am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-24T09:04:01-07:00">August 24th, 9:04am</time><address><a>Ben Strauss</a>Ben Strauss is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a die-hard NFL fan who cheers for the Detroit Lions. He has previously written fantasy football content for IDPGuys and ImportantNonsense.com.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Falcons have seriously revamped their roster this offseason. They <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-kirk-cousins-4-year-180-million-contract-with-falcons">brought in Kirk Cousins as their new franchise QB</a>. Atlanta also <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/falcons-2024-nfl-draft-grades-for-every-pick">drafted his eventual successor in Michael Penix Jr.</a> in the 2024 NFL Draft. That <a href="https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/taylor-heinicke-quarterback-53-man-cut-deadline" rel="noopener">does not leave much room for a QB3 like Taylor Heinicke</a>.</p><p>“I would love to be a part of the Falcons,” Heinicke said after the Falcons’ final preseason game Saturday, a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jaguars-vs-falcons-prediction-odds-pick-for-nfl-preseason" rel="noopener">31-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars</a> at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, per the team’s website. “I think this is probably the best roster I’ve been a part of when you look at it from top to bottom; I think Raheem (Morris, head coach) is building something special here, and I would love to be a part of it.”</p><p>Heinicke is hopeful that he can win a QB3 spot on the roster, but hope can be a dangerous thing during this time of the season.</p><p>“It’s one of the most stressful times,” Heinicke said. “It’s really the worst time of the NFL for all these guys, just kind of not knowing where you’re going to be.”</p><p>Thankfully, Heinicke can rest his hat on knowing he did his best and the rest is up to the coaching staff to decide.</p><p>“For me, personally, I did everything I could throughout OTAs and training camp,” Heinicke said. “When I got the reps, I tried to go out there and make the most of it. When I wasn’t in, I was trying to help Kirk and Mike in any way I could.”</p><p>“Again, I’d love to be an Atlanta Falcon,” Heinicke concluded. “If not, I love the game of football. I just want to keep playing football. That’s the dream.”</p><h2><b>Stephen A. Smith skeptical of Kirk Cousins, Falcons despite slew of offseason additions</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Kirk-Cousins-on-August-17-2024.jpg"><figcaption>Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Atlanta Falcons are the favorite to win the NFC South in 2024. It’s easy to understand why — they have the most talented roster in the division and have solved their biggest problem at QB.</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIkl2skLcK8" rel="noopener">However, not everyone is convinced</a> that Atlanta is destined to succeed this fall.</p><p>In fact, ESPN’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/falcons-news-stephen-a-smith-hits-falcons-stern-reality-check-despite-offseason-success">Stephen A. Smith was recently skeptical of Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons</a>.</p><p>“How are we going to turn around with a team led by Kirk Cousins–assuming he’s in the lineup after his injury–how are we going to assume that they are going to have but so much success, particularly in the postseason?” Smith wondered on First Take.</p><p>Smith was willing to concede that the Falcons might win their division — but only because he has a low opinion of the NFC South.</p><p>“…Now if we had the discussion that they’re going to win the South and they’re going to be in the playoffs, alright cool,” Smith continued. “That division, I mean don’t get me started with the NFC South. But that’s not what this discussion was about. You’re talking about the Atlanta Falcons and you mentioned potential Super Bowl? Don’t you have to win a playoff game, which Kirk Cousins has seemed allergic to?”</p><p>Stephen A. may be correct that talking Super Bowl with the Falcons is rich at this point in the year.</p><p>That said, winning your division is one of the best things you can do in the regular season to set yourself up for success in the playoffs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Taylor Heinicke gets real on tenuous roster standing after Falcons preseason finale

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/is-falcons-taylor-heinicke-playing-vs-saints-latest-week-18-injury-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Falcons’ Desmond Ridder replacing injured Taylor Heinicke vs. Saints');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Is_Taylor_Heinicke_playing_vs._Saints_Latest_Week_18_injury_update.webp"></figure><h1>Falcons’ Desmond Ridder replacing injured Taylor Heinicke vs. Saints</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-01-07T08:55:38-08:00">January 7th, 8:55am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-01-07T09:22:56-08:00">January 7th, 9:22am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-rumors-falcons-owner-arthur-blank-recent-moves-sugges-thinking-firing-arthur-smith" rel="noopener">The Atlanta Falcons are</a> preparing for Sunday afternoon’s regular-season finale against the New Orleans Saints with a chance to still make the playoffs However, the status of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/falcons-news-taylor-heinicke-injury-update-leaves-door-open-desmond-ridder-week-18" rel="noopener">quarterback Taylor Heinicke</a> was in question all week as he is dealing with a right ankle sprain, so is he playing in Week 18 vs. the Saints?</p><p>Unfortunately, Heinicke <a href="https://twitter.com/AtlantaFalcons/status/1744034262582481110" rel="noopener">is inactive</a> because of the injury and will be replaced by Desmond Ridder.</p><p><b><i>*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV </i></b><a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/football/?irad=356362&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored"><b><i>(click for a free trial)*</i></b></a></p><h2><b>Taylor Heinicke injury status vs. Saints </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Heinicke.jpg"></figure><p>Taylor Heinicke was listed as questionable for the game, and he and the Falcons were apparently <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1743921162491728222" rel="noopener">“hopeful” that he</a> would be able to suit up and start the game against the Saints, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Unfortunately, he just wasn’t able to go after trying to make it happen.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/falcons-news-taylor-heinicke-brutally-honest-take-on-bears-loss" rel="noopener">Heinicke has been</a> the starting quarterback for the Falcons, taking the job from Desmond Ridder after the Cincinnati product struggled. Heinicke has started four games but won’t be able to make a fifth with a playoff spot on the line. He made his first appearance for the Falcons on October 29 against the Tennessee Titans. Combining that with the four games that came after, he has thrown for 890 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions.</p><p>As noted, there is still a chance <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-rumors-russell-wilson-linked-to-falcons-steelers-patriots-amid-likely-broncos-exit" rel="noopener">for the Falcons to not</a> only make the playoffs but even win the division even with their 7-9 record heading into Week 18. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/atlanta-falcons-predictions-week-18-saints" rel="noopener">Atlanta has to handle business</a> against a divisional rival in the Saints and hope the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lose to the 2-14 Carolina Panthers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Falcons’ Desmond Ridder replacing injured Taylor Heinicke vs. Saints

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/falcons-news-taylor-heinicke-injury-update-leaves-door-open-desmond-ridder-week-18');   ga('set', 'title', 'Falcons QB Taylor Heinicke injury update leaves door open for Desmond Ridder in Week 18'); 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   /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Falcons_news_Taylor_Heinicke_injury_update_leaves_door_open_for_Desmond_Ridder_in_Week_18.webp"></figure><h1>Falcons QB Taylor Heinicke injury update leaves door open for Desmond Ridder in Week 18</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-01-01T12:55:07-08:00">January 1st, 12:55pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-01-01T12:55:07-08:00">January 1st, 12:55pm</time><address><a>Sonny Giuliano</a>Sonny Giuliano has been covering the NFL, College Football, NBA and College Basketball for well over a decade, but he's never claimed to be an expert ... just a sports fan who cares WAY too much. Follow Sonny on Twitter (or X, whatever Elon's calling it) @SonnyCG for his sports and pop culture takes</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It was NFL coaching, broadcasting, and video game <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raiders-pay-tribute-to-john-madden-on-2-year-anniversary-of-his-passing">legend John Madden</a> who has been credited for uttering the oh-so-true prophecy, “If you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none.” Apparently, at least based on what we’ve seen this season, Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith is not a practicing member of the Church of Madden.</p><p>Arthur Smith and the Falcons have been operating a revolving door at quarterback all season, going back and forth between Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke with a curious amount of frequency because of injuries, poor play, general indecision on Smith’s part, or whatever the reason may be. Regardless of why Smith seemingly can’t settle on who he wants his starting quarterback to be on a week to week basis, the uninspiring duo of Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke has combined to perform as a bottom ten starting quarterback in the NFL. And now, heading into a must-win Week 18 game against the New Orleans Saints, Smith once again has to choose one of his two quarterbacks, only an ankle injury to Heinicke might force his hand.</p><p>“#Falcons coach Arthur Smith says QB Taylor Heinicke, dealing with a left-ankle injury, will do everything he can to play. They hope to know by Friday and will get Desmond Ridder ready, just in case.” (<a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1741890231198966218" rel="noopener">h/t</a> Ian Rapoport of NFL.com) </p><p>Together, Taylor Heinicke and Desmond Ridder have thrown for 3,191 yards, 15 touchdowns and 15 interceptions this season, which I’d be willing to guess is probably just as ugly as you imagined it would be. Any where you turn, there is just no good answer for the Falcons. This past weekend against Chicago, Heinicke looked completely overwhelmed. Just a week earlier, Ridder threw <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/falcons-qb-desmond-ridder-throws-one-of-worst-interceptions-of-season-vs-panthers">one of the worst interceptions</a> we’ve seen all season in a back-breaking loss to Carolina.</p><p>Even if Atlanta can end their season on a high note with a win over New Orleans, they’d still need Carolina to pull off an upset over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in order to make the Playoffs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Falcons QB Taylor Heinicke injury update leaves door open for Desmond Ridder in Week 18

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/falcons-news-desmond-ridder-atlanta-taylor-heinicke');   ga('set', 'title', 'Will Desmond Ridder have shot to take back Falcons’ starting job from Taylor Heinicke?');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/falcons-news-will-desmond-ridder-have-shot-to-take-back-starting-job-from-taylor-heinicke.webp"></figure><h1>Will Desmond Ridder have shot to take back Falcons’ starting job from Taylor Heinicke?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-12-20T08:58:34-08:00">December 20th, 8:58am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-12-20T09:32:50-08:00">December 20th, 9:32am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said the team is <a href="https://twitter.com/tori_mcelhaney/status/1737513110582239444" rel="noopener">reportedly planning to start</a> quarterback Taylor Heinicke for the three remaining games in the 2023 season, per Falcons reporter Tori McElhaney. McElhaney <a href="https://twitter.com/tori_mcelhaney/status/1737515118643085631" rel="noopener">later provided</a> further information on the Falcons’ quarterback situation.</p><p>“Important to note: The plan after the Falcons Week 11 bye was that Ridder would be the starting QB in Atlanta for the remainder of season. So, even though Smith is saying this about Heinicke with three games left, plans change, and they have in Atlanta before,” McElhaney wrote on X (formerly Twitter).</p><h2><b>Desmond Ridder vs. Taylor Heinicke for Falcons</b></h2><p>Ridder, 24, is considered by many to be the Falcons’ quarterback of the future. The young QB <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/falcons-qb-desmond-ridder-throws-one-of-worst-interceptions-of-season-vs-panthers" rel="noopener">has endured struggles in 2023</a>, though. As a result, there are now <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/falcons-news-desmond-ridders-time-atlanta-might-be-over-latest-benching-taylor-heinicke" rel="noopener">concerns about Ridder’s future with Atlanta</a>.</p><p>Ridder has thrown for 2,528 yards to go along with 10 touchdowns in 2023. However, he’s also thrown 10 interceptions and hasn’t been able to develop much consistency for Atlanta.</p><p>Ridder’s upside is exciting. There is no question that he features the ability to become a reliable NFL quarterback. But the results have yet to fully display themselves on the field.</p><p>Heinicke, a veteran who made his NFL debut in 2017, probably isn’t the Falcons’ long-term answer either. He will finish the season as Atlanta’s QB, unless another change is made. Heinicke has shown signs of potential in the past, and perhaps he can make a bid to earn the starting job by finishing the season strong.</p><p>The Falcons’ quarterback situation has a lot of uncertainty at the moment. They would surely prefer for Ridder to be their QB of the future, but his 2023 performance did not leave much room for optimism.</p><p>Atlanta holds a 6-8 record following their 9-7 loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 15. Heinicke will try to help the Falcons end the season on a high note.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024 SEASON STATS
PASSING YDS	PASSING TDS	INTERCEPTIONS	POSITION RANK
41	0	0	36

2024 SEASON STATS
PASSING YDS	PASSING TDS	INTERCEPTIONS	POSITION RANK
41	0	0	36

Taylor
Heinicke

2022 Projected vs Actual Pts

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