The Desmond Ridder era in Atlanta has started pretty much the way the brief Marcus Mariota era and the lengthy Matt Ryan era ended: with hope squelched by a catastrophic, cringeworthy reversal of fortune.
With 2:13 remaining in the Falcons' divisional matchup against the Saints, down three points, Ridder got the chance to be a hero. He'd been largely ineffective through the air, relying heavily on Atlanta's ground game, but in this moment — in a do-or-die 4th-and-5 moment — he remained in the pocket and fired a strike right into the arms of Drake London. For a moment, hope bloomed ... and then the ball got punched out of London's hands right into the waiting arms of Bradley Roby.
That meant Ridder, Atlanta's third-round 2022 draft pick out of Cincinnati, would be the man for the rest of the year no matter what, working without a net. Against Atlanta's loathed rival, Ridder displayed all the characteristics of an NFL rookie making his first career start: heavy reliance on the running game, happy feet in the pocket, laser-like focus on one single safety-blanket receiver. In Ridder’s case, the comfort target was fellow rookie Drake London, the No.
Still, there were signs of hope. With 11:07 remaining in the game and Atlanta down 21-10, the defense swarmed Andy Dalton and, after a punt, gave Ridder the ball at the New Orleans 32. He managed – with substantial help from his running backs – to push the Falcons into the end zone and convert the subsequent two-point attempt.
Any expectations Mariota may have had about being the Falcons’ QB of the future should have evaporated a month after that, when Atlanta selected Ridder in the third round. Mariota beat out Ridder in preseason to get the starting nod to begin 2022. But after Atlanta inexplicably seized the NFC South in Week 8, Mariota struggled, throwing just five touchdowns against three interceptions over the last five weeks as Atlanta went 1-4.
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