It was NFL coaching, broadcasting, and video game legend John Madden 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.

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.

“#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.” (h/t Ian Rapoport of NFL.com) 

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 one of the worst interceptions we've seen all season in a back-breaking loss to Carolina.

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.