Team news: Atlanta Falcons | Page 3

Falcons QB Desmond Ridder is being evaluated for a concussion and Taylor Heinicke is now in at quarterback.

Ridder certainly got roughed up in the first half, getting sacked five times and lost a fumble. He was 8/12 for 71 yards and added 26 yards on three rushing attempts. The offense again continued to struggle, scoring just six points in the first half and now there will be many more questions surrounding the unit. It will be interesting to see hoe Heinicke performs and if he can steal the starting job away from Ridder.

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson will "be fine," coach Arthur Smith said Monday, after the rookie was severely limited during Sunday's victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Robinson said after the game that he was suffering from headaches and began "feeling weird" Saturday night. He struggled to sleep and woke up Sunday "feeling completely out of it." He took medicine to try and feel better, but his head continued to hurt.

Related players: Tyler Allgeier, Cordarrelle Patterson

The situation was definitely strange. Robinson was involved in 11 snaps total but only got a touch on the final play before the game-winning field goal. It was a three-yard run. Robinson said after the game that his head still was bothering him, adding that he was neither tested for a concussion nor administered a COVID test. He was not spotted in the locker room during the open media session Monday, the story added.

Falcons RB Bijan Robinson (headache) carried the football just one time in Atlanta’s 16-13 win over Tampa Bay.

Robinson revealed after the game he was dealing with a headache since Saturday that wouldn’t go away. Head coach Arthur Smith told him he didn’t want to risk anything. Robinson’s one rush came in the fourth quarter. Tyler Allgeier received 21 rushing attempts and went for 59 yards and also caught three passes for 53 yards. So if you’re wondering why you have basically a goose egg from Robinson, there’s your answer.

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is expected to remain in Minnesota and not waive his No-trade clause — “short of unforeseen circumstances.”

The Vikings are 1-4 and have their best player, Justin Jefferson, on injured reserve. Minnesota has Chicago, San Francisco and Green Bay before the October 31 trade deadline and Cousins is a free agent after the season. “But short of a contending team with a familiar offense losing its starting quarterback before the NFL's Oct. 31 trade deadline, Cousins is expected to finish the season with the Vikings,” wrote Schefter. Cousins is our No. 11 quarterback this week against the Bears.

While Kyle Pitts has appeared in every game and has been on the field for 69 percent of Atlanta’s offensive snaps, he’s caught just 11 passes for 121 yards with no TDs this season. But after missing much of last season with a torn MCL, Pitts may not quite be fully healthy.

“Look at him, obviously he’s out there,” HC Arthur Smith said Monday, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Again, there are no perfect timetables. But there are certain things, you see him and he’s doing really well right now and there are certain things that he can’t [do well]. It’s been a journey back. He’s going to get there.”

The Falcons selected Kyle Pitts at No. 4 overall in 2021 and he had a strong rookie year, catching 68 passes for 1,026 yards with a touchdown. But since then, Pitts’ production has taken a significant dip — and it’s only gotten worse in 2023, the story pointed out. With this news that maybe Pitts isn't fully recovered, it at least gives some hope to owners who drafted Pitts this season, and of course, owners who used a high dynasty first round selection on him in 2021.

Falcons HC Arthur Smith tells reporters that Desmond Ridder remains the starting QB.

Related players: Taylor Heinicke, Logan Woodside

Ridder threw for just 191 yards and added two interceptions to his totals against the Jags on Sunday morning in the first London game of the season. The Jags led 17-0 at the half forcing the Falcons to come out throwing and play catch-up during the second half. The Falcons host the Texans in Week 5. Those in deeper leagues or superflex leagues may want to think about making some room for Heinicke if he's on your wire as Ridder could be one more bad start away from a benching.

Only two 49ers I did not see participating during early open portion of Thursday’s practice: WRs Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings. Jennings was doing some work on the side. WR Brandon Aiyuk is out of blue no contact jersey. LB Dre Greenlaw also back in the mix.

Related Players: Ronnie Bell, Ray-Ray McCloud

In addition to Bell and McCloud, Tay Martin, Chris Conley and Isaiah Winstead are options the team could pull from their practice squad. We'll keep an eye on all of these injuries heading into Friday's practice, but we could be looking at a very run-heavy approach from the 49ers as 14-point favorites on Sunday.

Bears WR Darnell Mooney asked about his knee injury, and referred to it as a "nagging bruise" and believes he'll be "fine."

Mooney put up a 4-53-1 line in Week 1 but didn't have a target in Week 2 before leaving the game.

Falcons CB Jeff Okudah (foot) and Cordarrelle Patterson (thigh) both will practice today.

Related Players: Tyler Allgeier, Bijan Robinson

We will soon learn what type of role a "Joker" takes in the modern-day NFL, but it's hard to assume it will be good news for Drake London or Kyle Pitts, who remain bystanders in the Falcons offense. Bijan Robinson should still be considered an RB1 no matter who is on the field, while Allgeier may miss out on some snaps if Patterson finds his way into the backfield.

Rookie running back Bijan Robinson was listed as the team’s third-string running back despite being the eighth overall pick in this year’s draft and the subject of much praise from those around the team over the course of the summer. It’s now time for the regular season to begin and the Falcons have adjusted the chart to better reflect Robinson’s actual role on the team.

Robinson is listed as the starter in the backfield with Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson behind him in the pecking order.

We touched a little bit on the Falcons RB situation recently. There is expected to be a lot of carries for Allgeier with Patterson's role in question. And as the story added, all three players should see time in the offense when healthy — Patterson has been dealing with a soft tissue injury — but Robinson is expected to be one of the focal points in Atlanta’s attack. Tuesday’s change to the depth chart acknowledges that. Allgeier would be a great handcuff for Robinson owners.