As the Falcons prepare to head north for a contest against the Titans, Arthur Smith is giving us some groundbreaking insight.
He told reporters on Wednesday that if Atlanta doesn’t play their best game, they’ll get embarrassed and then followed it up with an earth-shattering statement, “We can’t keep making the mistakes we’ve and expect to beat a good team.”
Two quotes about TEN game from Arthur Smith:
"If we don’t play our best game, we’ll get embarrassed."
"We can’t keep making the mistakes we’ve and expect to beat a good team."
— Scott Bair (@ScottBairNFL) October 25, 2023
I love this stuff from Arthur Smith. Let’s just call a spade a spade, alright?
Desmond Ridder cannot continue to be careless with the football if the Falcons want to punch their ticket to the postseason. The third-round pick has committed six turnovers in the last two weeks in some inexcusable moments.
Last week, Ridder lost three fumbles in the red zone. The first could be attributed to the offensive line, but there’s something he can learn too. Instead of taking a sack and kicking a field goal, Ridder tried to make a play, which resulted in a strip sack and a lost fumble.
Tom Brady was better than any quarterback when it came to taking his medicine. When the pass rush was closing in, he knew when to pull it down and take the sack and when to extend the play. This was an instance where Ridder should’ve taken the sack and three points.
The second fumble might be attributed to Drew Dalman, but the snap hit Ridder in the hands. That’s about all you can ask.
The third fumble was the most egregious. In what should’ve been a game-sealing touchdown, Ridder loafed into the endzone with the ball in his inside arm, giving Antoine Winfield the opportunity to punch the ball out — fumble and touchback.
Fortunately, Ridder was given the opportunity to put together a game-winning drive to set up a Younghoe Koo go-ahead field goal. The Falcons weren’t so lucky the week before.
Ridder threw three interceptions, including his final one amid a would-be game-winning drive. That wasn’t the most egregious, though. With the ball inside the 10-yard line, the Falcons had a chance to tie the game with a touchdown and a two-point conversion.
In the face of pressure, Ridder left his feet and threw a prayer up to Drake London, who wasn’t even looking in his quarterback’s direction. It was the Falcons’ best chance to make it a game, and Ridder pissed down his leg.
All of this was a long-winded way of saying, yes Arthur Smith, we (Desmond Ridder) cannot keep making mistakes (turnovers) and expect to win football games. The last team to lose three redzone fumbles and win a game was the 2004 Cardinals. That’s how unlikely Atlanta’s win over the Buccaneers was.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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