The consistent theme of the Falcons season has been inconsistencies, especially at the quarterback position.
Desmond Ridder is bottom three in turnovers and turnover-worthy plays, but it wasn’t just the fact that he was giving the ball away or putting it in harm’s way. It was where he was doing it.
Ridder leads the NFL with six red zone turnovers and could very well have more had a couple of fumbles not bounced the Falcons’ way. Most recently, he threw an inexcusable interception against the Panthers in the red zone that led to a Bryce Young drive that ended with a game-winning field goal as Carolina notched their second victory of the season.
For the Falcons, it effectively dashed their postseason hopes and may have been Desmond Ridder’s last game starting for the franchise. When asked about the play, he described it as the “dumbest” one of his career.
#Falcons QB Desmond Ridder said his interception against the #Panthers was “the dumbest play of my career.” pic.twitter.com/Y8zKeqapUv
— D. Orlando Ledbetter (@DOrlandoAJC) December 20, 2023
Honestly, that’s just recency bias from Ridder because I’ve seen several equally egregious decisions that just didn’t end up costing the Falcons a game and a playoff berth.
Even though Arthur Smith said the league hasn’t seen the last of Ridder; they’ve seen the last of him as a starter. That’s also why he described it as the dumbest play of his career because he realizes that it might have just cost him the opportunity to ever start a game again, outside of an injury.
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Photographer: Andrew Bershaw/Icon Sportswire
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