Watch: Atlanta Falcons backup quarterbacks throw interceptions on back-to-back pass attempts

New York Jets v Atlanta Falcons
New York Jets v Atlanta Falcons

Josh Rosen and Feleipe Franks are the Atlanta Falcons' backup quarterbacks that you've probably not heard much about if you're not a huge football fan. Rosen was a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft whose career never panned out, and Franks played for a big-time program in Florida; but the two never managed to make it in the NFL.

They had one small chance to shine, though. As the Falcons were stomped by the New England Patriots 25-0 on Thursday Night Football, Matt Ryan's day was over late in the fourth quarter.

It was time to rest him and let the backups play for a series or two and gain some experience.

This ended up in disaster for Atlanta.

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Falcons backup quarterbacks throw two straight interceptions

Rosen got his chance to play in one series and maybe throw three or four passes, but the former first-round pick out of UCLA completed just one pass out of three attempts, one of which was intercepted and returned to the end zone after a high throw. Kyle Van Noy made the pick:

Atlanta's situation got worse. After Rosen's pick, the Falcons decided to take a small look at Feleipe Franks, who signed as an undrafted free agent after the 2021 Draft.

Franks threw just a single pass during the game, the first of his NFL career, and here's how it ended:

Being a Falcons backup quarterback is not the worst job in the world. Matt Ryan, as reliable as he is, clearly has been on a sharp decline this season, and his advanced age makes it increasingly likely that his contract won't be extended after the final year in 2022.

Matt Ryan has been a the major pillar of a Falcons organization since being drafted in the 2008 NFL Draft. Ryan was a symbol of the franchise's changing of the guard from former sensational quarterback Michael Vick to Ryan himself.

Any chance for a Falcons backup quarterback to impress should be taken as a tryout. Neither Rosen, a first-round pick from the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, nor Franks, undrafted in 2021, did anything to help their futures in the league.

If this game was a preliminary tryout for the Falcons backups, they better start looking outside of the organization.

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Edited by LeRon Haire
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