Why Atlanta Falcons Believe in Desmond Ridder as Starting QB & Think 'Best Football is Ahead'

Armed with a new perspective on playing quarterback at the sport's highest level, Desmond Ridder believes he's ready to lead the Atlanta Falcons' playoff push.

In the days that followed the Atlanta Falcons' 28-23 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 8, quarterback Desmond Ridder was left to ponder his future.

Ridder didn't play in the second half against Tennessee after entering - and later clearing - concussion protocol. While he was on the sideline, backup signal caller Taylor Heinicke guided the Falcons to 20 points, their most productive half to date.

Falcons coach Arthur Smith decided to start Heinicke, first for that Sunday and then again the week after. In this moment, Ridder's young career had never faced more uncertainty.

Smith and Atlanta's coaching staff brought up names to Ridder to provide confidence. One that made its way to the public is former pro quarterback Mark Rypien, who most notably starred for the now-Washington Commanders in the late 1980s and early 1990s and overcame fumbling issues to make two Pro Bowls.

Others approached Ridder, offering words of wisdom. But regardless of who said it or the fashion in which they did it, the message remained the same.

"Just coming up and letting me know that when things happened, it wasn't the end of my career," Ridder said Wednesday. "There's bigger and better things ahead for myself. I took that and ran with it knowing that my opportunity is going to come again and when it does, just take full advantage of it."

The opportunity has officially come once again for Ridder, as Smith decided to name the 23-year-old the Falcons' starter over their bye week. It's a move designed to remain in place for the remainder of the season.

And Smith is confident Ridder's equipped with the lessons learned during his two weeks as a backup to finish the year in grand fashion.

“I think everybody has their own stories or you can look at history or things that have gone on with different players and quarterbacks," Smith said. “There’s a lot going on, but things, the way they worked out, I think we’re in a good spot.

“Certainly, Des is prepared, fired up and ready to go.”

The driving force behind Smith's optimism in Ridder doesn't stem from what he did in his eight-week stretch as a starter but rather his one quarter in relief of Heinicke against the Arizona Cardinals before the bye week.

In a cruel twist of irony, Ridder impressed after Heinicke left with a hamstring injury, completing four of six passes for 39 yards while adding three carries for 11 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

With Ridder in the game, Atlanta's offense put together a pair lengthy drives, the first a 15-play, 54-yard series that ended prematurely after a failed fourth down try and the last an eight-play, 74-yard touchdown march that gave the Falcons a late lead.

Beyond the offense's collectively improved performance, Smith liked Ridder's preparation, confidence and intent on wanting the ball in his hands when the game was on the line.

It's for those reasons that Smith has confidence in Ridder moving forward and a key factor in his decision to go back to the former Cincinnati Bearcats star with the Falcons' season at risk of slipping away.

“Des did a nice job having to come back in that game. Gave us a chance. Situation, and where it’s at, we think this gives us the best chance," Smith said. "We have a lot of confidence in Des. We think the past couple of weeks, he’s handled it really well with a lot of things going on. I think the reset will be very beneficial for him.”

Arthur Smith Details 'Beneficial Reset' For Desmond Ridder

Many know Smith's father, Fred, founded FedEx - but few are aware his sister, Molly, is a movie producer.

Ridder replacing Heinicke in Arizona and nearly leading the Falcons to a much-needed victory would've been straight out of Hollywood, but wasn't how Smith hoped things would unfold.

That said, it still gave Smith the evidence needed to allow Ridder the chance at creating a storybook ending.

“You wouldn’t write it how it played out in a movie to go in there and be ready to go," Smith said, "because you always tell these guys, ‘You’re a snap away, whether you’re the swing tackle, backup center or the backup quarterback, or whatever it is,' but you can tell he was prepared. If he wasn’t, it would’ve been exposed.”

---

Ridder was making clear progress as the season progressed, averaging 297 passing yards per game from Weeks 5 through 7, second most in the NFL behind only Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes.

During that time, Atlanta's offense eclipsed 400 yards in each game, the first time since the end of 2018 it'd done so ... but still, the unit mustered only 53 total points, or an average of 17.7 points per contest.

Ridder proved he could move the offense down the field, but a lack of redzone execution and turnover woes - he led the NFL with 12 total giveaways (six interceptions, six fumbles) when benched for Heinicke - ultimately overruled many of the positives.

As such, Smith has tried to preach small fundamental fixes to Ridder, and he's responded well. Ridder also focused on Heinicke's approach and found how much more open the line of communication was between he, Smith and offensive coordinator Dave Ragone as opposed to last year's starting quarterback and mentor, Marcus Mariota.

During his time away, Ridder saw how energy can shift on sidelines throughout games and the importance of keeping everybody focused for all 60 minutes.

Thus, while Ridder spent only nine quarters on the sideline watching Heinicke, the Falcons feel this time away has a chance to alter their young quarterback's future.

“I think it can be very beneficial if you’ve got the right people involved," Smith said. "If you take advantage of it, it’s no different to the (bye week) self-reflection. He’s done a really good job of that and has taken advantage of what can be perceived as a major negative and try to turn it into a positive for not just the short-term, but for the rest of his career.”

Oct 8, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder (9) passes the ball against the Houston Texans during the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium / Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Perspective has been Smith's biggest talking point regarding Ridder. This isn't limited to just his overall career outlook, but his individual game reflection.

“Sometimes, maybe you get caught up and you’re looking at things in just one light because the results may have happened," Smith said. "You’re not looking at everything in the big picture and some things that can help you if you get in that situation again."

Little changed in Ridder's weekly process while he was on the bench. He still led meetings and met with teammates in extra time while continuing his usual game preparation habits.

But that hasn't stopped him from adapting a newfound aggression that became evident when he met with reporters for the first time since regaining the starting job.

Ridder spoke at length about playing fast and physical and trusting the gameplan, something he didn't always do in his first stint as starter. He also wanted no part of discussing the potential dangers of playing the New Orleans Saints' ball-hawking secondary Sunday.

"That's right there - that’s when you start to get in trouble when you start to play careful," Ridder said. "What we're going to do is trust what we do out here on Wednesday's, Thursday's and Friday's, trust our practice, trust our training and what we've been trained to do, and we're going to go out there and play fast."

Whether it was the bye week relaxation or the realization that his hold on the starting job wasn't as strong as perceived, Ridder seems to have a new sense of urgency.

Smith and Ridder seemed aligned on the latter's time away revitalizing his perspective. The opportunity to capitalize on that arose the moment Ridder was benched - but him seizing the moment is perhaps most paramount to the situation unfolding as Smith hoped.

“I think the easiest thing to do is to be pessimistic," Smith said. "If you look at something that’s some catastrophic event and you don’t handle it well, you come back, you’re sitting there and you’re being practical, and you’re also not looking at some of the other things that are going well.

"Or, you’re not having perspective about actually being thankful that you have the opportunity that you go get to do this."

Hours later, Ridder proved his coach right.

"It's just exciting," Ridder said. "Ready to have the opportunity to be out there, just going to take full advantage of it."

---

Make no qualms about it - Ridder's entering the biggest stretch of his career, and the Falcons are banking on a big finish to deliver on lofty preseason expectations.

Atlanta's lost three straight games and six of its last eight overall after an encouraging 2-0 start. Still, with a win Sunday, the Dirty Birds will be back atop the NFC South.

Ridder's likely done enough this season to stick around in some capacity on an NFL roster for the next several years ... but both he and the Falcons want much more than that.

This seven-game sprint could ultimately decide his prospects at being a starting quarterback vs. career backup - and, potentially, whether he's in Atlanta beyond this winter.

Is Ridder ready for it?

"I feel very, very good about where he’s at," Smith said. "He handled it very well, which is not an easy situation to do. I think his best football is ahead of him.”

The opportunity to start against the Saints after the bye week isn't new to Ridder. It's how he made his NFL debut last year, though that was a road game in a raucous environment as opposed to the comforting Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where he's 5-1 as a professional.

But in terms of his mental, physical and emotional state and comfort both in Atlanta and Smith's offense, Ridder believes it's "night and day" how far he's come.

There's still much to improve on, but Ridder can sense his growth. Best of all, he's learned how to conquer adversity - something the Falcons will be hoping to mirror as they push for their first playoff appearance in six seasons.

“It’s not what happens when you get punched," Ridder said, "it’s how quickly are you going to get back up and keep going.”

Heart-to-heart talks with coaches. Comparisons to past quarterbacks who've gone through similar trials and tribulations. The chance to take a step back and reflect - before being unexpectedly thrust into action.

It's been nearly three weeks since Ridder's fateful Sunday afternoon in Nashville. In the time since, both he and the Falcons feel he's undergone a valuable transformation and isn't the same player he was when Heinicke entered for the second half.

Now, the opportunity Ridder so desperately wanted is in his hands - he just has to go seize it, starting Sunday at 1 p.m. EST with the weight of Atlanta on his shoulders.

“It’s just going out there and playing free," Ridder said. "You know everything. You know what to do. Now, let’s just go do it.”