After picking Desmond Ridder in last season’s NFL draft among a pool of talented quarterbacks, the Atlanta Falcons gave him the role of playing backup for Marcus Mariota. The team was so satisfied with Ridder that they benched Mariota for him, prompting Mariota to leave the team and soon Desmond got elevated as their first-string quarterback.
Nevertheless, the previously 5-5 starter stepped on the field in Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and began making serious mistakes, though at last his mistakes were dismissed by the Falcons’ head coach Arthur Smith after the team closed the game with another win.
Falcons HC praises Desmond Ridder
Similar to previous season, the Falcons have been placing all of their hope on their quarterback since the beginning of the campaign. After Week 6, the team’s support of Desmond Ridder encouraged him to play with greater confidence, which helped them to three wins.
His plays did not upset his team but for some of his mistakes in the game carried disadvantages for their play. In spite of the mistakes, Smith expressed a great deal of optimism for their quarterback while backing him after from the questions of the reporters.
Mentioning him as “tough” and “winner”, the head coach advised the reporters to give the utmost priority to the team’s win and their quarterback’s prowess.
“It’s his 11th start, just got a good win, so let’s give him some credit, give this team some credit. We found a way to win. I know this about Desmond Ridder: He’s tough, and he’s a winner.”
Even the team’s receiver Scotty Miller did not mince words to support his quarterback while giving him credit for the win.
“We don’t worry about the outside noise. We all believe in Des, We believe he’s our guy. Obviously there’s things to clean up, but there’s things everyone has got to clean up.”
Desmond Ridder finished the game tossing 250 yards while recording no interception and touchdown.
Desmond Ridder’s mistakes vs Bucs
Even though the Falcons finally triumphed in Week 7 with 16-13 in the scoreboard, the team’s offense did not perform well that evening. The offense had trouble all night, and the lineup was living a terrible nightmare as a result of Ridder’s errors in the red zone.
Just before halftime, the quarterback made his first significant red-zone error when he let Shaq Barrett swat the ball out of his hand on a third-and-goal play from the 11-yard line. The game was level at the end of the second quarter, but Ridder’s inability to control center Drew Dalman’s snap allowed the Bucs to take a lead in the third.
Antoine Winfield Jr. of the Bucs was able to punch at the ball with his right hand in the last quarter of play thanks to another major error made by Ridder in the end zone, which led to a turnover for the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons attempted five trips to the red zone during the game, but their quarterback was only able to score one touchdown.
Luckily, he plays for a solid team with encouraging teammates, a supportive head coach, and understanding management that doesn’t lose faith in him after a single game.
How do you feel about the chances that Desmond Riddle left behind?
