Flick's Forum: Evaluating Desmond Ridder, Arthur Smith After Atlanta Falcons Loss vs. Washington Commanders

Desmond Ridder and Arthur Smith have been given much of the blame for the Atlanta Falcons' loss to the Washington Commanders ... but were they the biggest problems?

It feels like the Atlanta Falcons (3-3) are stuck in a cycle spearheaded by excitement and disappointment, and Sunday's 24-16 loss to the Washington Commanders (3-3) inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium completed an entire circulation.

For the first time this season, Atlanta's offense scored a touchdown on its opening drive. Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder eclipsed 300 passing yards for the second straight week, the first time an Atlanta signal caller has done so since Matt Ryan in games five and six of 2021.

The Falcons outgained the Commanders in yards, 402 to 193, while running 29 more plays. Atlanta gained 1.2 more yards per play, committed two fewer penalties and was sacked two times less.

And yet, Washington won the game - but how?

The first two names that come to mind are Ridder and coach Arthur Smith ... but as both said afterwards, the entire roster needs to operate cleaner.

Still, Ridder tossed three interceptions, two of them coming in the fourth quarter, one of which was in the endzone and thwarted Atlanta's best chance to tie the game after entering the final frame trailing 24-10.

Turnovers aside, Ridder's afternoon was solid - he made a number of anticipatory throws, proved more willing to push the ball downfield and led four drives of at least 60-plus yards with another not far behind at 59.

It's a stark contrast from two weeks ago, when Ridder had three turnovers in an inept 23-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. This time around, he was legitimately productive and effective ... but ultimately, the second-year quarterback's three interceptions proved too much to overcome, leading to a frustrating afternoon.

“There's a lot of points where we could have done better, we could have put points on the board, we could have done this, and we just didn't,” Ridder said. “Whatever it was, we have to go figure it out and be better.”

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder threw a career-high three interceptions Sunday against the Washington Commanders / USA Today Sports

During the season's first four weeks, Ridder completed 74 of 119 passes (62.2 percent) for 744 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions while taking 16 sacks.

In the last two weeks alone, Ridder's gone 56 of 84 (66.7 percent) for 636 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions while being sacked three times.

The numbers don't lie - Ridder's taken his game to a new level since getting back to the United States after the loss to Jacksonville.

Yes, turnovers are a huge problem, and Ridder has to clean that up moving forward ... but Sunday was just career start No. 10.

The 24-year-old has taken noticeable strides in recent weeks, and the question is no longer whether he can play at a high level as a professional, but instead maintain it while taking better care of the ball.

Atlanta's locker room continues to have Ridder's back, and with the passing offense enjoying its best two-game stretch in two years, it's not difficult to see why. 

“He’s good - he’ll be good,“ Falcons tight end Jonnu Smith said. “I know the guy we’ve got. I know the guy I sit next to every day, next to my locker. We’ll be completely fine on that end. I think we have to play better as a whole. It’s not just Desmond. It’s all of us. We’re a unit.”

The other problematic area of the Falcons offense came via operational woes, as Ridder took a critical delay of game on the Commanders' one-yard line before throwing an interception and coach Smith had to take his final timeout after a spike on the final drive to prevent another delay of game.

There was also confusion between who was supposed to be on the field, as there were playing running to and from the sideline after a play on the last possession. Smith noted he wanted to get fresh bodies in, but the communication difficulties ultimately cost Atlanta valuable seconds.

And, of course, Ridder was urgently getting the snap off on the Falcons' final offensive play, as the play clock once again neared zero, this time coming out of a timeout. His pass was intercepted by Commanders linebacker Jamin Davis, and the game was effectively over.

Who takes the blame for the communication and procedural woes?

“It's on all of us," Smith said. "That hasn't been an issue. It happened today. So obviously it's not good enough, but it's not ever on one person.” 

Smith acknowledged it always starts with him - and the glaring question is how his team could look so disorganized in Week 6 of his third season at the helm.

There's no answer that explains this in a way that positively reflects on Smith, and two of his other in-game decisions - going for it on 4th and 3 from midfield and attempting a two-point conversion after the first touchdown in the fourth quarter - have drawn criticism, too.

The latter part isn't as fair, as the midfield decision is certainly defensible given the past two plays were available but thrown off by Ridder's missed throws, and the two-point try worked both times when attempted last year against the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Of course, some have been quick to note the Falcons lost both of those games - but the decision to go for two isn't why, especially considering they converted both attempts.

Smith's initial game script was sound, perhaps his best this season, and resulted in Atlanta's first opening drive touchdown through six games. His offense netted 25 first downs, nearly double the Commanders' 13.

But ultimately, it wasn't good enough - and the head coach and quarterback, be it right or wrong, are almost always the first two to bear the burden.

In this case, it's valid.

Ridder simply can't throw three interceptions in the second half and expect to win. On Smith's behalf, his two most aggressive decisions prior to the closing minutes didn't work out, and the operational issues link back to him.

That said, the Falcons will be fine moving forward - Ridder's clearly getting better, though his turnover numbers have to change. Smith has helped the Falcons outperform expectations each of the past two years and has built a culture players want to be a part of.

Still, results have to come - and even though Atlanta's just a half-game out of first place in the NFC South with a matchup Sunday against the division-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there was a fair anticipation the Falcons would play a consistently higher level than what they've shown thus far.

The season is now officially one-third of the way done, and Atlanta's in position to be where it wants to be by year's end ... but to reach the end goal, Ridder and Smith simply can't repeat Sunday's performance again.