The Facts: Following up on this week's Team Notes. ... A new QB in Atlanta: Falcons’ HC Arthur Smith has named Taylor Heinicke as the starting QB for Sunday’s game vs. the Vikings.

Diehards Line: Heinicke steps into the elevated role after playing the final two quarters of last Sunday's Week 8 loss to the Tennessee Titans. He entered the game after halftime, when Desmond Ridder was pulled to be evaluated for a concussion. Though Ridder was cleared, Smith opted to stick with Heinicke. Through eight games, in which the Falcons have gone 4-4, Ridder has completed 157 of his 240 passes (65.4%) for 1,701 yards and six touchdowns. He has, however, thrown six interceptions and fumbled seven times. Before this week, there were times when Ridder's starting status was questioned, but Smith firmly stood behind Ridder. The recent mid-game switch, though, sparked the question again: Will the Falcons make a midseason switch at quarterback? For the time being, the answer is yes.

The Facts: Following up on this week's Team Notes. ... According to reports from NFL Media, Aidan O’Connell will take over as the Raiders starter this week and going forward.

Diehards Line: A rookie fourth-round pick out of Purdue, O’Connell started the team’s Week 4 road loss to the Chargers. He finished the contest 24-of-39 for 238 yards with an interception and three fumbles. He also rushed for a touchdown. After signing a three-year deal with the Raiders in the offseason, Jimmy Garoppolo did not perform well in his six starts. He failed to reach 200 yards in three of the games, including Monday’s 26-14 loss to Detroit. Garoppolo was 10-of-21 for 126 yards with an interception in that contest. He was also sacked six times. With an interim GM (Champ Kelly), HC (Antonio Pierce) and OC (Bo Hardegree), more changes could come.

The Facts: Following up on this week's Team Notes. ... According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, sources tell him the Raiders have fired HC Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler.

Diehards Line:Schefter added that Raiders’ owner Mark Davis began informing select members of his organization later in day Tuesday that he was firing McDaniels and Ziegler. And now he has became the first NFL owner this season for fire the HC and GM. The Raiders are planning to name LB coach Antonio Pierce as their interim head coach. ... Stay tuned. More to come on this story.

The Facts: Pickett has taken the mystery out of the Steelers quarterback situation heading into Thursday’s game. Pickett told reporters in his Tuesday press conference that he’ll be on the field against the Titans. “I’m playing for sure,” Pickett said, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN.

Diehards Line: Pickett noted that he did some light throwing during Tuesday’s practice. While the Steelers didn’t get on the field on Monday, Pickett was listed as a limited participant on the estimate. The quarterback noted that his ribs get irritated the most when he’s trying to create torque to throw. “Obviously, your ribs are a huge part of that,” Pickett said, via Mike DeFabo of TheAthletic.com. “So, just being smart these two days and being ready to go Thursday night.” Pickett has completed 61 percent of his passes this season for 1,330 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions.

The Facts: The Cardinals are sending Dobbs to the Vikings, sources tell NFL Network.

Diehards Line: So after losing Kirk Cousins to a torn Achilles, Minnesota brings in Dobbs, who started the first eight games for Arizona. With plenty of starting experience, Dobbs along with rookie Jaren Hall will be part of the effort to make up for the loss of Kirk Cousins. It's the second time Dobbs has been traded in the past three months. Arizona acquired him in August from the Browns -- oddly enough, during Cardinals joint practices with the Vikings in Minnesota.

The Facts: St. Brown, listed as questionable due to an illness, officially is active tonight.

Diehards Line: Meanwhile, Raiders PK Daniel Carlson is officially active tonight. James McCourt is inactive. ... Beyond, Brian Hoyer is inactive for Las Vegas, meaning rookie Aidan O'Connell will back up Jimmy Garoppolo, who is back from his back injury. ... You can access the full inactive lists for all today's games on our Inactives Page.