Arthur Smith has seen enough out of the struggling Desmond Ridder. The Atlanta Falcons head coach announced Wednesday that Taylor Heinicke will be the starting quarterback in Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings:

Smith did say “just for this week” therefore he does clearly have a plan to put Ridder under center again. But given how poor he's looked, it's not a bad move to give Heinicke the chance to prove himself. After all, he had starting experience in the NFL, although his touchdown to interception rate is slightly concerning.

While the Falcons sit at 4-4 which is good enough for first place in the NFC South, it's not because of Ridder. He's completed just 65.4% of his passes for 1,701 yards, six touchdowns, and six picks. Ridder has also been sacked 25 times. The former Cincinnati Bearcat was pulled at halftime in Atlanta's Week 8 loss to the Tennessee Titans due to concussion concerns.

Heinicke ultimately entered and was 12 for 21 for 175 yards including a touchdown throw. As we've seen for most of the year, the Falcons are mostly relying on their electric backfield led by Bijan Robinson. The rookie is rushing for 5.1 yards per carry and has reeled in 26 catches as well, serving as a true Swiss Army knife.

Although Heinicke nor Ridder are great options at the moment, the Falcons do have an opportunity to grab a couple of wins over the next couple of weeks. The Vikings are without Kirk Cousins after he tore his ACL and the Arizona Cardinals are 1-7. We'll see if Heinicke can do enough to help his team move above .500 this Sunday. Expect the RB room to play their part.