Getty Left: Washington QB Taylor Heinicke. Right: Falcons QB Matt Ryan.
The Atlanta Falcons are set to welcome The Washington Football Team to Mercedes Benz Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 3, which means Washington’s backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke will take center stage in front of his hometown.
The Collins Hill High alum spoke to the media on September 29th about his “homecoming” matchup where he revealed that 10 of his “very close friends and family” will be watching from the stands.
“I grew up in Atlanta, but I was never a Falcons fan,” Heinicke said during Wednesday’s press conference. “My dad was born in Wisconsin, so right when I came out, I was a cheese head all the way. I grew up a lot watching Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers.”
But even though Heinicke didn’t grow up a Falcons or Matty Ice fan, doesn’t mean he has the utmost respect for the 14-year NFL vet.
“It’s fun watching him play because he knows where to go with the ball at all times, for every look and he usually does find the open guy. And again if nothing’s open, he does a great job of finding check downs. There’s a reason why he’s, leading the stats in a lot of categories. He’s a really good quarterback, is probably a hall of fame quarterback. It is really fun watching him on film. He’s a great quarterback.”
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Falcons vs. Washington Preview
In Week 3, Washington was awakened by the Buffalo Bills after losing 43-21. Now, they’ll be looking to bounce back in Atlanta. However, for a team who is currently 1-2 on the season, they should actually be 0-3––if it weren’t for an offsides penalty called on the Giants that gave them a second chance to make the kick to beat the New York Giants.
As for the Falcons, they were also able to––barely––beat the Giants. But still, a win is a win. It’s unclear as to what first-year head coach Arthur Smith is doing with this Falcons offense, but the team is overall making strides on paper––even if they aren’t that noticeable on the scoreboard. What has been the most disappointing aspect of this Falcons team is how unexplosive this offense has looked with all of the weapons Ryan has. For example, in last week’s matchup, kicker Younghoe Koo hit a 40-yard field goal to win the game and rising star wide receiver Calvin Ridley had, yet, another disappointing performance with only 61 yards receiving and zero touchdowns.
The Falcons won’t have it any easier against Washington. Second-string QB Talyor Heinicke has played well under center since taking over for the injured Ryan Fitzgerald. Heinicke has completed 69.4 percent of his passes, has five passing touchdowns to three interceptions for an overall QB rating of 97.7.
And he’s motivated to put on a show back home.
“Playing in front of my trainer, I’ve been training with for 10 plus years, high school head coaches, stuff like that,” Heinicke said. “They’re a big part of who I am today and you know why I’m here. So, it will be really cool to go out there, hopefully, put on a good show, go get a win. It’ll be good to get a win in front of those guys.”
Falcons’ Thursday Practice Report
The Falcons had some good news on their practice report this Thursday with top cornerback A.J. Terrell listed as a full participant for the first time in over a week. Rookie wideout Frank Darby also practice in full for the first time in two weeks.
Here is the Falcons’ Thursday practice report:
FULL PARTICIPATION
CB A.J. Terrell (concussion)
S Erik Harris (back)
OL Colby Gossett (illness)
WR Frank Darby (calf)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION
N/A
NO PARTICIPATION
WR Russell Gage (ankle)
DL Marlon Davidson (ankle)
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Washington’s QB Taylor Heinicke Admits He Was ‘Never a Falcons Fan’