Atlanta Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke’s last snap of Sunday’s 37-17 loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field may be the best representation of his afternoon – and Atlanta’s season under center.Trailing 30-17 and faced with a 4th and 17 just two plays after taking a seven-yard sack, Heinicke threw over the middle for receiver KhaDarel Hodge … and was intercepted for the third time.
Heinicke limped off the field, putting little pressure on his left ankle. He was replaced for the final two drives by backup Desmond Ridder, who’s started 12 games this season.
The 30-year-old Heinicke, making his second consecutive start and fourth of the campaign, had a tough afternoon through the air, going 10 of 29 for 163 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.
He added four scrambles for 46 yards, headlined by a 24-yard rushing touchdown, but led only three scoring drives in 11 tries, though two ended in missed field goals from kicker Younghoe Koo.
After the game, Falcons coach Arthur Smith confirmed the late move to Ridder was made due to Heinicke’s ankle, not his performance – though Smith opted not to analyze how the veteran signal caller played.
“He was playing through something,” Smith said. “Later as the game went on, could tell his ankle was hurting him. There’s a lot of things I don’t want to overreact without watching the film.”
Heinicke completed just 34.5 percent of his passes, the worst mark by a Falcons starting quarterback since Chris Redman’s 26.67 percent on Dec. 16, 2007.
And while Heinicke admitted he was fighting through ankle pain, it didn’t come into play until late in the game, as adrenaline removed any potential ailments.
He said the pain largely emerged when sitting on the bench in the cold, snowy Chicago conditions, but had it compound when somebody stepped on his foot on his penultimate throw.
It wasn’t until then that Heinicke started feeling some sharp pain, but he was adamant postgame his ankle wasn’t the primary factor behind his struggles.
“I wouldn’t say it was affecting me that much,” Heinicke said. “It was kind of in the back of my mind whether it’s transferring weight with throws and stuff like that, can kind of feel it. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow and go from there … I’ve just got to play better.”
In Heinicke’s place, Ridder completed his first three passes for 17 yards before tossing an interception on his fourth.
Turnovers were one of the driving forces behind Ridder’s benching, both his first in Week 9 and second in Week 16. The second-year pro threw 10 interceptions and lost six fumbles in 12 starts.
Heinicke went turnover-free in his return to the starting lineup last week, a 29-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts, but couldn’t continue the trend against Chicago.
In his four prior appearances, Heinicke had just one turnover, offering an element of ball security lacking with Ridder.
This quality vanished Sunday – and came in a time and place the Falcons simply couldn’t afford.
“It’s the same thing for most of the year,” Heinicke said. “We turned the ball over, and you can’t do that. Especially this team, how they play, in this weather. Can’t give them short fields, can’t turn the ball over, got to play clean football.
“There were spurts where we did that, and some that we didn’t, so we’ve got to clean it all up.”
Over their final five legitimate possessions, the Falcons threw three interceptions and had a three-and-out while finding the endzone just once.
There was no schematic magic from the Bears – just execution.
“They didn’t do anything different from what we’ve seen on film,” Heinicke said. “Maybe some of the pressure stuff on third down, some different fronts, they didn’t do that today – it was more vanilla. They just played a great game, they beat us.
“Go back and look at the film later tonight, see what we can do better and learn from it – but right now, I think they just beat our ass.”
Atlanta missed a pair of opportunities on its first two drives, as Heinicke overthrew tight end Kyle Pitts and receiver Van Jefferson in the endzone on third down.
These incompletions forced 50- and 42-yard field goal attempts from Koo, both of which were unsuccessful, and resulted in the Falcons falling into a 14-0 hole early.
They were never able to climb out of it, and the lack of consistency from the offense – which Smith insisted wasn’t flat – played a critical part.
Still, Atlanta’s issues went beyond Heinicke on Sunday.
“It’s never one thing,” Smith said. “For me to sit here and try to put blame on one person, it’s not how football works. A lot of things that didn’t go right. Didn’t get the result we wanted or needed, but usually it’s not ever on one person.”
The Falcons’ playoff hopes aren’t dead. With the New Orleans Saints (8-8) defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8), Atlanta remains alive in the NFC South.
If the Falcons beat the Saints and the Buccaneers lose on the road to the Carolina Panthers (2-14), Atlanta takes the division and snaps a six-year postseason drought.
In essence, it’s still all to play for … but the Falcons are once again tasked with quarterback questions, as Smith didn’t commit to Heinicke starting next week.
“We’ve just got to go in there and see who’s healthy tomorrow and who’s not,” Smith said.
The Falcons have a 24-hour rule, refusing to let any win or loss linger for more than a day.
They’ll need such a mentality this week, battling the frustrations of their largest loss this season and third defeat in their past four games.
Atlanta clinched its sixth straight losing season Sunday – and yet, for as heavy as this 17-point loss hit the locker room, it still has an opportunity to break its lengthy postseason drought if lady luck shines next week.
“It feels really shitty right now, come up here and get beat like that,” Heinicke said. “But the fact we still have a chance going into Week 18, that’s what you want.
“We’re going to focus on the Saints, go up there and beat them, and root for the Panthers.”
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