The Atlanta Falcons will stick with Desmond Ridder as their starting quarterback against the Houston Texans next Sunday. Arthur Smith confirmed the news Monday following the team’s 23-7 loss to the Jaguars in London. Ridder has been the subject of major scrutiny for his lack of dynamic playmaking in the team’s back-to-back losses to the Lions and Jacksonville. In the last two games the team has put up a combined 13 points.
The question amongst Falcons fans is whether or not to make the switch to veteran backup QB Taylor Heinicke now or let Ridder continue to figure out the speed of the NFL game in real time. So far, the young signal caller has not shown the ability to process defensive schemes in real time and has been hesitant to pull the trigger. Heinicke has 24 starts under his belt and has shown the ability to make necessary adjustments. The decision to have Ridder continue to starts shows organizational faith in the long-term prospect and a desire to keep his confidence up rather than having him feel the negative effects of a benching.
Dukes & Bell say Ridder does need to keep starting for now, but Heinicke should be ready at a moment’s notice.
“If our guy does not play at least as well as CJ Stroud, even if we win the game people will still be questioning if this is the right move,” Carl Dukes explained.
“It’s not fair to Arthur Smith or the Falcons, but you put yourself in this predicament. The organization decided to roll with Ridder. At the time we said, yes, it’s brilliant for all the reasons we talked about (money, etc.)” Mike Bell responded.
The quarterback question will be raised all season long until Ridder can put together a string of games where he shows consistent poise in the pocket and makes big throws down the field. Kyle Pitts and Drake London need to be more involved in the offense to give Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeire room to run; the staple of the team’s offensive identity.
