It’s been a tough past couple weeks for the Atlanta Falcons, but head coach Arthur Smith appears to be sticking with his starting quarterback despite 13 combined points in their last two losses.
When asked why he didn’t decide to pull Desmond Ridder at halftime when the team was down 17-0, Smith backed the second-year QB:
“I thought he came back,” Smith explained. “It obviously wasn’t what we wanted result wise. But he gave us a chance.”
Falcons head coach Arthur Smith on why he did not debate switching out quarterback Desmond Ridder at halftime: "I thought he came back. It obviously wasn't what we wanted result wise. But he gave us a chance."
Ridder is still the Falcons starter.
— Terrin Waack (@TerrinWaack) October 2, 2023
Ridder finished 19-of-31 for 191 yards and two picks in the 23-7 loss vs. the Jags in London.
The 24-year-old hasn’t played the cleanest football and Atlanta’s offense definitely lacks a dynamic component despite boasting players like Drake London, Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier and Kyle Pitts.
With that said, the Falcons remain very much in the mix within their division given the Saints and Panthers struggles.
They’ll look to get back in the win column with a much-needed W over the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
