Just as it was unwise to assume much about quarterback Desmond Ridder after his botched first start, it would be unwise to crown him as the franchise’s savior after a promising afternoon.
Of course, the Atlanta Falcons couldn’t keep up Baltimore Ravens in the worst things of winter. Ridder didn’t look so bad, though. Although the team never made it to the end zone, they may have reached new pockets of optimism that this kid from Ridder might be onto something. If they get two more weeks, the Falcons could cook on gas.
Ridder’s Saturday won’t earn him Hall of Fame honors. They also won’t make many people remember his performance the previous Sunday. While he looked like a struggling rookie in that contest, he came to Baltimore looking like a different guy once he settled in.
He played with confidence. He started to see the field a little better than the previous week. He started hitting some of his longest pitches. His chemistry with Drake London produced of them amazing throw and catch. He was leading the attack on the pitch and reaching key moments, including another fourth clutch pass which London again sadly missed. It looked like his game against the Saints was a warm-up, and it was his real debut.
During the first quarter against Baltimore, Ridder looked too nervous to really do anything. For the rest of the game, he actually looked like an NFL quarterback.
For the first time since joining the team, he gave this coaching staff an actual match tape that they could show Arthur Blank in the offseason to justify making him the primary candidate for start next fall. Even if the team continues to drop in the draft order, Ridder’s tantalizing second start could be the spark to help make the case for his future in Atlanta.
There are a lot of ifs, ands and buts floating around Ridder. One game won’t cement his NFL career, just like one game won’t bring him down. If he already looks shaky, well, he’s only started two NFL games on a largely mediocre team. If he ever looked promising, well, this regime didn’t just recruit him to hold a clipboard.
The Falcons saw something in Ridder that made them think he could become a meaningful starting quarterback one day, maybe even a franchise. On Saturday, he gave them some hope that they might have been onto something.
Not to be hyperbolic, but his game in Baltimore was leaps and bounds better than his game in New Orleans. You saw him eliminate some of those rookie mistakes that plagued him against the Saints. He wasn’t perfect, but perfection is unattainable for someone in Ridder’s shoes. He literally just became an NFL starter this month.
The fact that he was able to go to a hostile environment like Baltimore, in this weather vs. this defense, and holding his own, says a lot. That doesn’t mean he’s the next Patrick Mahomes – who he really is – but it could mean he’ll adapt to this process much faster than his first game indicated.
When you make those big throws and keep your cool under such difficult circumstances, you’re going to inspire some hope. There is still a lot to do for Ridder. He has a lot to work on. He’s not going to be averse to some ugly highlights, but he already has some great ones under his belt. He’s still a prospect, but he flashed moments on Saturday that made you think he really could be someone. Even though the Falcons didn’t come away with a win over the Ravens, they did come away with a many better idea of what life might look like with Ridder behind center.
It didn’t look so bad, all things considered.
We’ll see exactly what happens before next fall. God knows this process can be unpredictable. Ridder’s next test, a home game against the Trace McSorley or Colt McCoy Cardinals, will be telling. The Falcons would certainly like to enter the 2023 offseason without having to worry about the quarterback spot. Ridder’s promise won’t stop them from pursuing a veteran fallback option, but it might make them feel okay to pass on this class of draft. If Ridder becomes a pumpkin again against Arizona, well, we’ll have another discussion.
However, in the freezing cold against a playoff team, Ridder didn’t flinch. He did just about everything he possibly could to get the team as far as he could. Whether this will suffice in the long term remains to be seen. For now, it was like opening a present on Christmas morning.
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