Falcons HC Arthur Smith had said he didn’t want to be constantly switching between quarterbacks, but that’s exactly where we are heading into week 16.
Desmond Ridder certainly didn’t make things easy for Smith, throwing an interception in the end zone on Sunday that wouldn’t likely sewn up a win over the Panthers with 7:35 remaining. But make no mistake about it, the Falcons were bad all round, managing just 52 yards on 31 rushes, and Ridder himself turning the ball over twice.
But Smith had spoken of the perils of flip-flopping on QB’s week ago. “That’s usually not a great situation to have,” Smith had said. “You want to be fair and objective and obviously give people an opportunity. It was a belief in him, no matter what happens. It doesn’t mean anybody’s career is over, but we have to do what’s best for this team right now.”
SMITH FIGHTING FOR FALCONS JOB
But second year QB Desmond Ridder thought the learning curve seemed to be going ok.
“Obviously, I’ve had my ups and downs,” Ridder said recently. “I’ve been able to go out there and play good games and then, obviously throughout the games, there’s one or two plays in each game where something goes wrong or there’s a mistake. But then it’s how do you respond? And I feel like every time a mistake has happened, I’ve responded the right way.”
But when push came to shove the Falcons HC has clearly decided he needs to win out to keep his job, and with a playoff spot still a possibility for the Falcons it’s hard to argue with him.
However, the long term damage to Ridder is likely to mean that one way or another the Falcons will be in the hunt for a new QB again next season. And maybe a new head coach as well.
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 12 | 17 |
| Passing 1st downs | 8 | 7 |
| Rushing 1st downs | 3 | 8 |
| 1st downs from penalties | 1 | 2 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 6-13 | 5-15 |
| 4th down efficiency | 0-1 | 0-2 |
| Total Plays | 51 | 63 |
| Total Yards | 204 | 283 |
| Total Drives | 10 | 10 |
| Yards per Play | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Passing | 152 | 154 |
| Comp-Att | 12-20 | 18-24 |
| Yards per pass | 7.6 | 5.7 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 0 |
| Sacks-Yards Lost | 0-0 | 3-13 |
| Rushing | 52 | 129 |
| Rushing Attempts | 31 | 36 |
| Yards per rush | 1.7 | 3.6 |
| Red Zone (Made-Att) | 1-2 | 0-3 |
| Penalties | 4-25 | 4-35 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 0 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 0 |
| Defensive / Special Teams TDs | 0 | 0 |
| Possession | 26:04 | 33:56 |
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