Falcons Believe Moment Not 'Too Big' for Desmond Ridder
The Atlanta Falcons are going to start a rookie quarterback on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints after Desmond Ridder was named the starter ahead of the Week 15 matchup.
"If I thought the moment was too big for him, I wouldn't put him out there," head coach Arthur Smith said. "If I thought we had to restrict him, that wouldn’t be fair to this team."
Ridder, the former Cincinnati Bearcat, will make his regular season debut Sunday, but it's a big moment even on top of that. The Falcons will walk into the Caesars Superdome on a two-game losing streak, but a spot in the playoffs is still up for grabs.
The two-time American Conference Player of the Year recipient has played in big games before. After all, he led the Bearcats to a College Football Playoff appearance last year, helping Cincinnati become the first Non-Power-5 program to make the College Football Playoff.
The Falcons offense has one of the league's best rushing attacks, averaging 158.9 yards per game, but their passing game has not been where they'd like it to be. In fact, the Falcons are the second-worst in yards per game through the air, 155.7 yards per game.
Not many expected the Falcons to be in contention for the division this early into Smith's tenure. But with the NFC South being the worst division in the NFL, as all four teams sport losing records, it creates an opportunity for Ridder to be the hero in a big moment.
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