Atlanta Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke suffered a "low grade" hamstring injury in Sunday's 25-23, Week 10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, per head coach Arthur Smith.
Heinicke exited in the third quarter on Sunday and didn't return. It sounds like he should be fine following the bye, but Smith said he will use the off-week to determine who the Falcons' starting quarterback will be when the team returns. Desmond Ridder completed 4 of 6 passes for 39 yards in relief of Heinicke on Sunday. He also rushed 3 times for 11 yards and a touchdown. Smith said he liked how Ridder looked after "a reset," so that could be a potential early indicator of where the Falcons are leaning.
Heinicke completed 8 of 15 passes for 55 yards and a touchdown, and rushed 4 times for 34 yards, before leaving on Sunday. He averaged negative-0.28 Passing Net Expected Points per attempt while Ridder averaged 0.38 in relief.