No NFL franchise has done a better job of finding new and creative ways to lose winnable games than my beloved Atlanta Falcons. This has been my team since the 1998 Dirty Birds, but my goodness, this football franchise will make you question every decision in your life that led up to the point of watching them play at 1:00 p.m. ET on a fall Sunday and somehow thinking that they could do well...
After a 2-0 start to the year, this team is 4-5. The Falcons have been in every game they have played this year, outside of the early-season drubbings at the hands of the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars. Despite going with Taylor Heinicke as the starting quarterback after benching Desmond Ridder, Atlanta somehow found a way to lose to Joshua Dobbs and the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
This has nothing to do with the play of Dobbs, as he was amazing in college at Tennessee and has had his moments in the NFL, to some degree. It has everything to do with the Falcons knocking out Jaren Hall on Minnesota's first offensive possession, and still finding a way to lose to a journeyman backup who just got traded over to the Vikings from the Arizona Cardinals after Kirk Cousins' injury.
Atlanta surrendered the game-winning touchdown with seconds left to fall 31-28 to Minnesota.
I am convinced the suffering with this franchise will never end, but I have some people to blame, aight.
4. Taylor Heinicke's interception after Bijan Robinson's fumble was awful
Although I would not say Suwanee native Taylor Heinicke played a bad game in his first start in Falcons uniform, he did make a few questionable decisions in the passing game. No, he was not anywhere near as reckless as Desmond Ridder had been the previous few weeks, but he should have had more than one interception thrown on the afternoon. However, the one he did throw was horrific...
It came on the first play from scrimmage in the ensuing possession after rookie running back Bijan Robinson put it on the turf. Fumbles and interceptions happen, but the timing of Heinicke's pick could not have been worse. It may have only resulted in a Greg Jospeh field goal five Vikings' offensive plays later, but it gave the Vikings a 24-21 lead late in the game. They seized all momentum right then.
Even in this defeat, I would still roll with Heinicke over Ridder the rest of the way. His athleticism in underrated and his gunslinger mentality never has his team out of a game. Again, he played decently enough to give the Falcons a chance to win this game. However, he did not separate and elevate like his counterpart Dobbs did for the Vikings. Heinicke had a whole week of prep, while Dobbs did not.
This was Heinicke's first start with the Falcons, so I will give him that, but that interception was so bad.