Apart from the fact that the Falcons snapped out of the mini-losing streak, the franchise head coach has also quashed all such talk.
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The Falcons QB situation
The Falcons’ head coach Arthur Smith made it clear earlier last week that he is not changing his QB. This came before the Falcons’ game with the Chicago Bears even started. Not news that rookie QB Desmond Ridder will want to hear at all.
“There is no situation. There was never a situation — ever,” he said in the pre-match press conference.
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The question of a Falcons QB change came up on the back of two back-to-back losses in the previous weeks. Starting QB Marcus Mariota only threw two touchdown passes in the entirety of those two games. In the game against the Carolina Panthers, he threw both those TD passes but faced the sack five times. Mariota also threw an interception in that loss to the Panthers.
Mariota bounced back against the Bears to throw 13 completions. He threw one TD pass with no sacks or interceptions. Ridder will have to wait for his turn. Maybe next season.
Who is Desmond Ridder?
Desmond Ridder plays as the backup quarterback for the Falcons behind Marcus Mariota. The Falcons picked Ridder in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft. The QB has played college football for the University of Cincinnati. He became the starting QB for the Bearcats in his freshman year. His performance earned him the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the year award.
In 2020, Ridder won the Birmingham Bowl with the Bearcats. They defeated Boston College 38-6.
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In the next two seasons, Ridder won the AAC Offensive Player of the Year twice. He was also selected for the All-AAC First team for both of those years.
Ridder ended his college career with a 62.1% completion rate. He threw 87 touchdown passes and 28 interceptions. Ridder threw a career total of 10239 passing yards. He also rushed to gain 2179 yards in his college career.
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The Falcons are second in the NFC South table and still in contention for the playoffs. Ridder will have to wait for his chance. It will come, eventually.
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