Report: Falcons bench Desmond Ridder, name Taylor Heinicke starter vs. Colts

The Atlanta Falcons are reportedly switching things up at quarterback for Week 16. Ahead of their matchup versus the Indianapolis Colts, the Falcons are reportedly planning to start backup QB Taylor Heinicke over Desmond Ridder.

On Sunday, with a win against the Panthers still in reach, Ridder threw an interception on the Falcons’ final drive. That pick allowed the Panthers to mount a 17-play, 90-yard drive to win on a field goal with time expiring. The final score was 9-7 Carolina.

According to the Athletic’s Josh Kendall, the Falcons are benching Ridder for the second time this season, which could signal the end of the former Cincinnati star’s time as the starter in Atlanta.

Heinicke’s seen action in three games so far this season. He is 41-for-74 passing with 498 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. His completion percentage is significantly lower than Ridder’s (55.4% vs 63.3%), however, the younger of the two QBs has 10 interceptions to 10 touchdowns this season.

The Falcons take on the Colts at 1 p.m. ET on Christmas Eve. They’re hosting Indianapolis, hoping to earn win No. 7 on the year to move to 7-8. After the loss against the Panthers, the Falcons have an 11% chance to make the playoffs, according to the NYT postseason simulator.

Steelers also turn to new QB for Week 16

The Falcons aren’t the only team moving on to another quarterback for Week 16. Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin announced on Monday that the team will start backup Mason Rudolph this weekend against the Bengals instead of Mitch Trubisky.

Trubisky, who got the start on Saturday against the Colts, was starting in place of injured Kenny Pickett. The Steelers fell 30-13 to the Colts even as Tomlin swapped the QBs late in the game.

“As I stand here today, Mason Rudolph is the guy with the ball,” Tomlin said on Monday. Despite making the announcement, the head coach said the door is still “ajar” for Pickett to return to the field this week.

“It’s our intention as we sit here today to give Mason Rudolph an opportunity to start,” Tomlin added. “He’s a veteran guy, he’s a backup but he’s a veteran guy. We have a great deal of comfort with him. Why are we making the change? We don’t like what we’re looking at and the consistency of it. We’re not scoring enough points.

“Particularly as you move into December football. You’ve got to score more than 14, 16 points this time of year. The engineering of a victory isn’t going to be fluid without doing those things.”

Pickett missed his second straight game after suffering a high ankle sprain against the Cardinals. He had a surgical procedure to help the ligaments heal faster. Before his injury, Pickett had 2,070 passing yards, six touchdowns and seven interceptions on the year. He’d also taken 23 sacks.

“Kenny had a really good rehab today,” Tomlin said. “His availability is not out of the question this week. But at the front part of the week, our attention and emphasis is on Mason Rudolph.”