Falcons Playoff Hopes Alive Ahead of QB Desmond Ridder's First Start

Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder's first regular season NFL action will come with plenty at stake, even with the team sitting three games below .500.

The Atlanta Falcons are 5-8, have lost four of their last five and just made a quarterback switch from veteran Marcus Mariota to third-round rookie Desmond Ridder, who's yet to play a regular season snap.

And still, exiting the bye week, the Falcons are just one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the lead of the NFC South with a Week 18 contest looming between the two.

Atlanta finds itself in a tie for second place with the Carolina Panthers, who currently hold the tiebreaker due to having a better record (3-1 for Carolina, 1-3 for Atlanta) within the division.

The Buccaneers, who lost 35-7 to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, will host the Cincinnati Bengals (9-4) this week, likely entering the game as underdogs.

In essence, the Falcons' Week 15 road game against the New Orleans Saints (4-9, last in the NFC South) coming up could be to get back into a tie for first place in the division with just three games to play thereafter.

It's a huge situation for Ridder to be thrown into, as the Falcons haven't made the playoffs since 2017. However, he's in the role for a reason - Falcons coach Arthur Smith asserted before the bye week that his team needs to "get over the hump" in close games, as all but two of Atlanta's eight losses have come by one score.

After throwing for over 200 yards twice in the first three weeks, Mariota eclipsed the mark just once over the following 10 games. The inability to hit explosive plays vertically was a big limitation and put added emphasis on Atlanta's top-five rushing offense, which delivered - but couldn't do it all.

As such, while all eyes will be on Ridder, it's important to note that he merely needs to do his job and hit the throws that he's expected to, especially making his regular season debut in a loud environment. And now, with Tampa Bay's loss, add playoff hopes to the list of things at stake in Ridder's first outing.

Ridder's played in big games on big stages, most notably the College Football Playoff against Alabama a season ago - but he's about to venture into a hostile environment with a lot on the line and little to bank on.

It's a tall task for Ridder to take on, but also presents a prime opportunity for him to prove exactly why he's in the situation that he is - the starting quarterback for the Falcons ... with the city's playoff dreams potentially on the line.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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