Vikings to face their former QB in Week 9 game

A familiar face will be playing quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9 when they host the Minnesota Vikings.

Sunday is going to be an interesting game for the Minnesota Vikings and it won't only be because rookie quarterback Jaren Hall will be getting his first career start. The Atlanta Falcons will have a quarterback that fans should know pretty well.

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith named Taylor Heinicke the starter for Week 9 after he replaced Desmond Ridder midway through the Falcons' Week 8 game. However, Smith assured fans and the media that the change was not due to health reasons or performance issues.

News of the change was shared by Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports.com. It is an interesting game to start Heinicke since the quarterback started his career with the Minnesota Vikings when he signed as an undrafted free agent in 2015.

Heinicke has moved around the league a bit since leaving Minnesota on an injury settlement in 2017. Most notably, Heinicke held his own when stepping into a playoff game for Washington to face off against Tom Brady in his first playoff game with Tampa Bay.

Excitement about Heinicke in Washington led to him getting more opportunities. His success led Atlanta to sign him to a two-year deal as insurance. Although they drafted Desmond Ridder in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, they kept Heinicke to back up the young passer.

It will be fun to see Taylor Heinicke face off against the team that brought him into the league. Entering this Week 9 game, Heinicke is 12-12-1 as a starter with a 35-to-24 touchdown to interception ratio.

The Minnesota Vikings face the Atlanta Falcons in the noon window on Sunday, Nov. 5. Fans will be keeping a close eye on Jaren Hall but now they can also get a good look at Taylor Heinicke in Week 9 as well.