NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Atlanta Falcons inserted Taylor Heinicke to replace quarterback Desmond Ridder to start the second half against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

The Falcons said Reeder was being evaluated for a concussion but added shortly after that he had been cleared. He was on the bench at the start of the second half, wearing a hat and watching the attack, as Heinicke took the field for the first time this season.

The switch came after a rough first half in which Raider completed 8 of 12 passes for 71 yards while being sacked five times and also losing a fumble — his fourth lost fumble in the past two weeks. He also had three carries for 26 yards.

Heinicke came through on his first drive and completed one of two passes for 7 yards and led the Falcons to a field goal on a 44-yard, seven-play drive, Atlanta’s longest of a game.

After the drive, Heinicke sat on the bench next to offensive coordinator Dave Ragone, where Ridder has typically sat after drives this season.

Atlanta signed Heinicke in the offseason to be Ridder’s backup quarterback.

Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett suffered a knee injury on the first defensive series and was subsequently ruled out for the rest of the game. Garrett has been one of the team’s defensive mainstays during the three-year transition from the Dan Quinn era to the Arthur Smith era.