Atlanta Falcons' Arthur Smith Sees 'A Lot of Progress,' Room For Growth From QB Desmond Ridder

Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith sees some room for improvement from quarterback Desmond Ridder, but he has also seen growth.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder found a new career-high in passing yardage last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it was not enough to lead his team to a win.

Ridder's mark of 347 passing yards is evidence of some improvement from the young quarterback, but the jury is still out on whether or not he is the longterm answer for Atlanta at that position. Head coach Arthur Smith discussed Ridder's growth this week in media availability and certain areas that he would like to see improvement in moving forward.

“Probably the easiest thing to do is to make an argument both ways," Smith said. "I think you can argue that the numbers have been pretty good. When you’re moving the pocket with some of this stuff, he made some difficult throws. You do see a lot of progress with some of the small things. 

"Our focus right now is can we eliminate, in all three phases, a couple plays that we didn’t make and other things that may not have been exposed. We have to improve and put everything we have into this because here it is. Last quarter of the season. Thankful we have another opportunity, and we have to go win this game on Sunday.”

Dec 10, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder (9) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium / © Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Desmond Ridder (and the quarterback situation as a whole in Atlanta) is a polarizing topic. The Falcons have strong talent at the skill positions, but at times this season, the quarterback play has been subpar, keeping the offense mired in inconsistencies.

That's a balance that Smith and the coaching staff look to find on a weekly basis: how can they best put Ridder and the offense as a whole in a position to succeed?

“There are a lot of ways to look at it," Smith said. "You try to have perspective. We have a lot of young skill position guys, but there’s never any panic in them, and that’s why you like working with them. It’s your job. We’ll keep working with them, and obviously, what we can control this week is put everything we’ve got to go win this game in Charlotte. That’s the opportunity we have in front of us.”

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If the Falcons hope to make the playoffs, they will likely need to win the NFC South, a standing they lost after dropping Sunday's game to the Bucs. They have a chance for another division win this week when they travel to face the Carolina Panthers.

Kickoff in Charlotte is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on FOX.