In the last three times they picked new players for their team, the Atlanta Falcons chose very good ones like tight end Kyle Pitts, receiver Drake London, as well as running back Bijan Robinson. They are super talented! With all this talent, you would expect the Falcons to have a very exciting offense. But this year, it has not been as amazing as we hoped.
Recently, in the last two games, the most relied player did not score a lot for Atlanta. The team lost one game, 20-6, to Detroit and another 23-7 to the Jaguars in London. Robinson, one of their star players, did very well on Sunday, gaining 137 yards when he had the ball. But the rest of the team did not play as well as we hoped.
Coach Arthur Smith said before the season that the Falcons’ offense would be an exciting one. Now, he knows it is his job to make that happen and make things better.
“We have to do a better job, and that starts with getting our offense going early,” Smith said on the team’s official website after Sunday’s loss. “You can’t turn the ball over even if you go back to the hole…” Your life will become even more difficult. ”
Desmond Ridder, who is in his second year as the quarterback, has not been playing as well as we expected him to play in the first four games. He normally throws the ball about 186 yards each game and does not try long passes often. In the last game, he tried to throw the ball far twice, but it did not work out.
Books about Ridder entering 2023 say that while he may not be an elite passer like Sunday’s opponent, Trevor Lawrence, he is a steady force who makes smart decisions and does not turn the ball over.
That was not the case in London. Ridder had two consecutive interceptions in the second quarter, including a pick-six to put the Falcons up 17-0. The QB then allowed a sack and fumble on his final possession, sealing the loss. “I handled the ball very well,” Ridder said.
It is a Tough Lesson for a Young Quarterback
It was the first game with multiple turnovers for Ridder, who had fewer than 250 passing yards in all eight of his career. Despite the inefficient offense, Smith never considered benching Ridder in place of veteran gunslinger Taylor Heinicke.
“It is a tough lesson for a young quarterback,” Smith said of the interception. “When you go back outside, (you) learn more about yourself. In the second half, he did a good job of pushing the ball up the field a little bit. I thought he was cleaner in the pocket, and we did not do anything. I could see what was going on, but then he did not take any risks, which is common.”
Last year, when Marcus Mariota was struggling, Smith resisted replacing the quarterback until it was too late. It is too early to give up on the second-year QB completely, but Ridder’s play has been frustrating for a team that expected to contend for the NFC South title. The past two weeks have been eerily similar to last year’s offensive struggles, with Pitts and London out of the offense for long periods of time.
London suggested after the match that it was up to the players to turn things around. “Probably ourselves,” he said when asked what’s holding the Falcons back. “After this incident, we need to look at ourselves in the mirror and understand a few things.
We have good players on our team. We need to go on the field and do great and wonderful things! Maybe it begins with the players that catch the ball. Or maybe it is how the quarterback plays or maybe how the coach plans the game. But no matter what, we cannot keep everyone interested if we only score 6.5 points on average in two games.”
