Desmond Ridder nearly fumbled the Falcons chances of winning on Sunday away in the fourth quarter. Running into the endzone with the ball in the wrong hand, Antoine Winfield Jr. punched it out, resulting in a touchback, giving the Buccaneers a chance to win the game.
As it has this entire season, Atlanta’s defense stepped up when it mattered most. They bent but didn’t break and forced the Bucs into a game-tying field goal. The Falcons had about a minute to get in field goal range for Younghoe Koo to attempt a game-winning field goal.
Desmond Ridder led the drive with a strike to Kyle Pitts that picked up a bulk of the yardage needed. That sequence was a microcosm of Ridder’s performance this season — a rollercoaster, a bag of mixed results.
Ridder turned the ball over three times in the red zone. Shaq Barrett had a sack-fumble, then there was a botched exchange between him and Drew Dalman, and finally, the Winfield fumble that resulted in a touchback.
In that same breath, he finished with a 107.1 passer rating, which marks the second straight week with one north of 100. He completed 19 of 25 passes for 250 yards, no passing touchdowns (one rushing) and no interceptions.
The Falcons lead the NFC South as of right now, but Ridder has committed six turnovers in the last two weeks. There’s no excuse for that. Not protecting the football will end your time in this league faster than anything. Ridder has flashes of brilliance and then has moments that remind you he is practically a rookie. His Week 7 performance was a microcosm of those rollercoaster moments.
“The guy played phenomenal in the pocket, throwing the ball,” Arthur Smith said. “Last week he threw a couple picks, fixed those. I understand it’s like a game of Whack-A-Mole, but he’s in his 11th start, just got a good, road win against what, the third-ranked win in the league.
“So let’s give him some credit. Let’s give this team some credit for winning. I’m not going to run away with some negative narrative. Found a way to win. I know this about Desmond Ridder. He’s tough and he’s a winner.”
It might be hard for fans to compartmentalize Desmond Ridder’s performances, but that’s exactly what Arthur Smith and the Falcons are doing. Mistakes are inevitable for young quarterbacks in this league. What separates them is who continues to make the same ones. Ridder has learned and improved in each outing. He’s continuing to make mistakes, but they are new ones.
—
You must log in to post a comment.