What was Desmond Ridder thinking on the final play in Falcons' loss to Saints?

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By , Audacy

Desmond Ridder made his NFL debut on Sunday and it was not exactly the most memorable performance — with the final play of the game one that he would likely want to forget.

With the Atlanta Falcons trailing the New Orleans Saints by three points and pinned all the way back on their own 33-yard line, the Falcons had just five seconds left to try and get into field goal range or pull off a Hail Mary for a touchdown.

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As Ridder dropped back to pass, he rolled to his left and began to scramble, bursting past the line of scrimmage and picking up 18 yards on his feet before running out of bounds with time already expired.

That decision effectively ended the game and secured a win for the Saints, but left many scratching their heads on what Ridder was thinking.

Even if the receivers were not where they were supposed to be, at that point Ridder’s job is to extend the play. To simply just run out of bounds and give up is quite odd.

Ridder’s final line was not exactly inspiring, either. He finished with 13 completions on 26 pass attempts for 93 yards and no touchdowns. He also had six carries for 38 yards, although 18 of them came on that last play.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: Getty Images