As Monday Night Football wraps up, media outlets are releasing their NFL power rankings through Week 3. The Falcons are bound to tumble down the rankings after a drubbing by the Lions. There’s a lot of blame to go around, but it mostly falls on the offensive side of the ball.
Arthur Smith didn’t call his best game. Desmond Ridder‘s accuracy and decision-making obviously need refining. More than anything, in my estimation, the offensive line has been the biggest catalyst of the offense’s shortcomings, and therefore, the most disappointing.
However, as always in this league, the quarterback gets the blame and the glory. Ridder is no different as The Athletic shifts blame to the Falcons’ signal caller.
19. Atlanta Falcons (2-1)
(Last week: 7)
Sunday: Lost to Detroit Lions 20-6
QB confidence rating:Â 3
The questions about Desmond Ridder and whether he can steer an offensive ship that includes running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts got louder after Sunday when a hesitant and inaccurate Ridder had a passer rating of 70.2. A combination of 6.3 yards per attempt (25th in the league) and 62.5 percent completion rate (24th) for the season is not promising.
There’s no arguing the fact that Ridder can be better, and The Athletic did a quarterback confidence theme, so he was going to be the subject regardless of whether he thrived or struggled. Still, I think it’s disingenuous not to even mention the fact that Atlanta’s offensive line is a significant factor in Ridder’s shortcomings.
I don’t think Ridder is the problem just yet. He’s a young quarterback experiencing young quarterback struggles. However, he’s certainly not the solution. There’s hope he can develop into that.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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