FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder is clear about one thing.
“I’m not a stat person, so I don’t care how many times I throw the ball or whatever,” Desmond Ridder said. “I want to win at the end of the day.”
Ridder helped guide the Falcons to a 24-10 victory over the Panthers on Sunday. The Falcons had not won a season opener since 2017 and had not won a season opener at home since 2015.
Coach Arthur Smith was quick to note that the victory was not “aesthetically pleasing,” but that it’s better to fix things off a win.
The Falcons (1-0) are set to host the Packers (1-0) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“Got the film watched,” Ridder said. “Got the corrections made. We were able to get in there and learn some good things about what we can and can’t do, what’s going to help us this season and what’s not.”
Smith noted that the spacing in the passing game was an issue.
“Just little intricate details of where … if you are running (two routes),” Ridder said. “(One route) can’t be at the same depth as the (other route). Just little things like that.”
Ridder completed 15 of 18 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. He finished with a passer rating of 111.8. He has not thrown an interception in his five starts.
“Don’t jinx him,” Smith said when asked about the streak.
Ridder took a lot of short routes and threw only one pass more than 15 yards down the field.
“But as far as the passing game goes, there are some things that worked, some things that didn’t,” Ridder said. “Other things that fell on me, as far as trying to do too much.”
Smith said the Falcons wanted to push the ball down the field.
“Well, we got sacked on four (drop-backs),” Smith said. “Go by depth of target. Our depth wasn’t good on some of them. Some, they may have covered. So, no. Not, for lack of trying.”
The Panthers’ coverage changed after cornerback Jaycee Horn left with a hamstring injury.
“They started rolling over to (wide receiver) Drake (London) on certain things,” Smith said. “So, there’s a lot that goes into it, but when we needed to make a play late – that’s the most misunderstood thing. I mean, we can throw a lot of (deep routes). Carolina threw a lot into the stands. So, we could go that route, but we’re trying to win the game.”
Ridder took the blame for a couple of the sacks.
“A couple of sacks or whatever they may have been, I (place) on myself,” Ridder said. “But as far as the pass, we know that we’re good. We’re going to go out here and continue to work. Keep continuing to get the playmakers the ball.”
London, who led the Falcons in receptions with 71 last season, was targeted once against the Panthers.
“Me and Drake have grown a great relationship,” Ridder said. “For me to be able to tell him, ‘Hey, I’m going to (get) you the ball, don’t worry about it.’ Then you know, just the culture and everything that we created here. It doesn’t matter how we win, as long as we get the win everyone is going to be excited come Monday.”
Ridder was cautious with the football and threw nine passes to running backs Bijan Robinson (six) and Tyler Allgeier (three). They caught all of their targets.
“We have creatures, monsters all over the field,” Ridder said. “It just doesn’t have to be the tight end or the wide receiver position. For us, fortunately for us we have it at the back position, too.”
If the Packers jump routes and try to cover the running backs, that may open up some holes down the field for Ridder.
“Just making the defense communicate and making them figure out who’s going to get the ball or what time or where they are going to be at,” Ridder said. “That’s what we try to do the most, just kind of confuse the defense. So, having players at any position (who) can catch the ball is going to be a struggle for a defense.”
Some question whether Ridder was comfortable in the pocket after Panthers linebacker Brian Burns had two sacks.
“My comfort (level) is really good with this offense,” Ridder said. “Last week, we never got into a rhythm that we wanted to get into. So, you talk about the balance of the offense, they ran the ball this many times and threw it this many times. At the end of the day, whatever is going to help us win, that’s what we are going to do.”
The Falcons had 13 possessions against the Panthers. One was at the end of the first half and another at the end of regulation. Of the 11 other drives, the Falcons punted seven times. They had four three-and-outs.
“We just want to be able to get into a good rhythm,” Ridder said. “I think that’s one thing that we are going to work on this week throughout the week and going into the game. It’s just being able to get into a better rhythm. ... Get out there, no three-and-outs. Get out there, get one drive to just get it going.”
The Bow Tie Chronicles
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