The Falcons have fallen to 4-4. In a vacuum they sit in first place in the division and have everything to play for. In the greater context, they are in the same spot they were in last year, record-wise. That’s a problem when you take into account that this was year three of a three-year plan (Arthur Blank’s words during training camp) and that the team invested heavily in offseason roster upgrades.
Maybe that sense of urgency helped contribute to the decision to pull starting quarterback Desmond Ridder — the NFL’s leader in giveaways — and to start Taylor Heinicke in his place.