Arthur Smith on Desmond Ridder: ‘He’s tough, and he’s a winner’

The Atlanta Falcons knew there would be some growing pains when they named second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder as their starter going into the 2023 season. Thus far, Ridder has been a mixed bag.

On one hand, he has led the team to the top spot in the NFC South at 4-3. On the other hand, Ridder has turned the ball over six times in the last two weeks. The former third-round pick lost three fumbles during Sunday’s 16-13 win over the Buccaneers.

To Ridder’s credit, he responded with a late drive to set up Younghoe Koo’s game-winning field goal. After the game, head coach Arthur Smith defended Ridder.

“It’s his 11th start, just got a good win, so let’s give him some credit, give him this team some credit,” Smith said about Ridder. “We found a way to win. I know this about Desmond Ridder: He’s tough, and he’s a winner.”

#Falcons coach Arthur Smith, on his QB Desmond Ridder: “It’s his 11th start, just got a good win, so let’s give him some credit, give this team some credit. We found a way to win. I know this about Desmond Ridder: He’s tough, and he’s a winner.”

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 22, 2023

You can understand why Smith is going to bat for his quarterback when the team is winning games, however, it’s pretty clear the Falcons won in spite of Ridder’s blunders in Week 7.

Overall, the Falcons are in good shape as we near the midway point in the season, but the defense isn’t always going to be able to bail them out. Ridder finished Sunday’s game with 250 passing yards, 38 rushing yards, one touchdown and three fumbles.