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The Falcons have a QB Problem



The Falcons are 2-1. If you don’t go any deeper than that, it’s not a bad view to this point. But take a few steps back and things get gloomy real quick. Ridder has been a problem. He was unimpressive through most of the first two games against the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers until strong fourth quarters enabled wins — and, yes, that is what mattered most. But Sunday’s performance in a 20-6 loss to the Detroit Lions was pure misery. Ridder was 12-for-25 for 119 yards with five sacks early in the fourth quarter when the score was 20-3, after which yardage against a prevent defense became empty calories.

When a team drafts Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Bijan Robinson, it’s not supposed to fail to score a touchdown. It’s not supposed to start 1-for-10 on third down and have six possessions where it fails to get a first down.

It’s not supposed to average 2.8 yards per play.

Or fail to cross the 50 in seven of the first nine possessions.

Or fail to make it to the opponent’s red zone until there are only five minutes left in the game.

A team with Pitts, London and Robinson is not supposed to take possession after a Jessie Bates interception at the Lions’ 43 and then run four plays: 4-yard run, 2-yard run, incomplete, incomplete.

The Falcons have a Ridder problem. Because even with clear protection issues on one side of the ball (seven sacks) and an anemic pass rush on the other (zero), the primary difference between Atlanta and Detroit on Sunday was the play of their quarterbacks.

Jared Goff made plays. Ridder made mistakes.