The Falcons sit 2-1 after three weeks and atop the NFC South with a trip across the pond on the docket.
Atlanta will travel to London to square off with Jacksonville. The Jaguars looked to be a force in the season opener but have dropped two straight, including one to the C.J. Stroud-led Texans.
For the Falcons, there’s a lot to clean up from their Week 3 contest in Detroit. The Lions showed the blueprint for stopping Arthur Smith’s offense — sellout to stop the run and force Desmond Ridder to beat you through the air.
Unfortunately, Ridder wasn’t capable of doing that. The offensive line didn’t help, though. Ridder rarely had time to throw and when he did, it wasn’t great. There were a few different would-be turnovers that were dropped, which has become a consistent theme for Desmond Ridder.
The Falcons quarterback has only thrown one interception, but there have been at least six dropped by defenders. You could make a case that he should have as many as seven or eight interceptions. He’s one of the luckiest quarterbacks in the league; in fact, Pro Football Focus says he’s the luckiest signal-caller in football right now.
PFF charted turnover-worthy plays (TWP) vs. actual turnovers:
Unlucky
– Kirk Cousins: 2 TWPs, 5 turnovers (-3)
Lucky
– Desmond Ridder: 7 TWPs, 2 turnovers (+5)
– Brock Purdy, Geno Smith, Jordan Love: 4 TWPs, 1 turnover (+3)
This is a concerning stat because eventually, those turnover-worth plays will turn into actual turnovers. One thing that will kill a young quarterback’s team is turnovers.
The Falcons cannot afford any turnovers from the offense because it hardly produces points to begin with. Atlanta needs Ridder to be more careful with the ball, or regression will smack them right in the face at the worst possible time.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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