Here’s what the Falcons had to say after the 21-19 win over the Texans:
STORM NORTON, right tackle
On his impression of Ridder: “You have to put your trust in the coaches and putting the guy out there. Whoever is out there, trust in the game plan and try to succeed play-in and play-out.”
On the last drive, Ridder: “I think he did great. We were down one. We needed a field goal to win the game. That’s what we went down and did. That’s good for (Ridder). It’s all about confidence in this league. He was playing with confidence. Everybody in this room trusts in him I know that. You could see that early.”
On how the trust is gained: “I think you can feel that when you have all of that faith in one person. Playing quarterback in the league is the toughest thing no doubt. You just have got to…not every play is going to be perfect. You just have to go out there apply the game plan and the work that we put in throughout the week and just go out there and play.”
On going in for Kaleb McGary (knee injury): “You just have to treat the week like you’re going to be the starter. That’s what being a professional is all about. When one man goes down, the next man has got to step up and the offense shouldn’t skip a beat. Yeah, if felt good being out there.”
On getting up to speed: “It’s been a crazy week, no doubt. Getting here last Tuesday and then going to London. Again, it’s a testament to the coaches and how we stress the game plan throughout the week and the scheme and the looks that we are expecting to get. This is all about being a professional and it’s our job. We are expected to go out there and perform. It’s just something where you have to apply a little extra work after being here short-term. I felt good being out there.”
TAYLOR HEINICKE, quarterback
On Ridder: “He came in every day this week and worked really hard. He was determined. He had a lot of confidence out there today.”
On what does it say about Ridder: “He’s built for this league. He proved all those people talking (last) week, wrong. It’s something to build on. If we can sustain that, it would be awesome.”
KYLE PITTS, tight end
On Desmond Ridder: “Inside the building we all know what we can do. We stand behind Des. We knew it was coming.”
On the last drive and what it meant to Ridder: “That’s a him question. I think it would obviously build his confidence, but that’s a him question.”
On being a big part of the offense: “I mean it’s always good contributing to the offense. Whenever we can when the opportunity comes our way. This is a tight end room we just try to do our thing, come together do whatever we can to help the offense.”
On what he saw in Ridder before that last drive: “We were always trying to win….it was understood. Nothing needed to be said.”
On what he said: “Just, ‘no penalties. Let’s get out of here with the win.”
DRAKE LONDON, wide receiver
On Desmond Ridder big day: “That’s him every week. Week in and week out. That’s who he’s going to be. Today it just showed.”
On him and Pitts: “It’s was amazing. It just goes to show if all of us touch the ball, a lot of good things will happen. Especially play makers like us.”
On his expression after the first-down catch on the game-winning drive: “There was a little chitter chatter, back and forth between the opposite players. At the same time, I wanted to spark the offense to get them going. I think that’s what I did in that moment. Honestly, I was just showing my emotion and my passion for the game.”
On what today’s game does for QB Desmond Ridder: “It does a lot. He already has the confidence, he’s already the leader, and this game is just another building block to his resume.”
On the trash talk during the game: “It’s the game of football, and we all love it. But at the end of the game, we all came together and rejoiced. We said, ‘Stay healthy and keep on going,’ but when we’re in the middle of the battlefield, that’s the mentality we have to have.”
JONNU SMITH, tight end
On the game: “We got the win. We did some good things. There are still some things we’ll clean up. We always have this mentality of always improving. A lot of great things to look forward to for us as a skill group.”
On the fumble: “We had no flinch. My guys had my back. When adversity strikes, what defines you as a man is how you bounce back from it. I don’t just live that throughout my entire life. My faith is so strong and my foundation and who I am as a man in Christ and that just allows me to continue to do everything else in my career and be able to rely on that. That’s going to get me through any tough times.”
KHADAREL HODGE, wide receiver
On what worked for the offense today: “Just making first downs, staying ahead, and not getting too backed up on things. Just kept playing, moving forward and making plays.”
On QB Desmond Ridder’s confidence today: “We stick with Des. That’s Des. Regardless of what people say, Des is going to be true to Des. He’s a leader. He’s a baller. You guys have seen him today. Regardless of what people say, he’s strong minded, and he’s going to produce.
On the game-winning drive: “We had no doubt. We practice those situations basically every day in practice, so we have no doubt. We know what we have to do. Two-minute situation or any situation, we have a relentless group, so I knew we could go down and score.”
NATE LANDMAN, inside linebacker
On the second half momentum swing from the crowd and team: “Yeah, we were always exchanging looks and you get momentum. We had momentum during that period. The crowd was with us, and we were able to make those type of plays, keep him on his toes. I think we did a great job coming out in the second half with energy.”
On whether this game affected how he feels about QB Desmond Ridder: “You know, we have always been super confident in Des. Des is a baller, and Des is our quarterback for a reason. Today, he went out and showed it and proved why he’s our quarterback. You know it’s not news to us, it’s not a surprise to us. We knew Des had that in him. He had a great game today, and we’re all super proud of him.”
On how important the drive was for QB Desmond Ridder: “It’s a confidence booster. We had no panic on the sidelines, we’ve seen Des make those plays. Our whole offense executes during practice. We do a two-minute drill every week so no panic on the sideline. We’re able to see him do that and [there were] no surprises he led the team down there.”
DAVID ONYEMATA, defensive tackle
On the team finding an edge in the fourth quarter: “I’m really impressed with the way Desmond [Ridder] played on offense. In that last drive, you never want to give up points, especially when you are up six with a touchdown as a defense late in the ball game, and give the team a lead. I was really impressed with the offense. They just kept working, kept playing good football and found a way to drive up the field and get that field goal. In football, there are going to be a lot of games that you are going to win or some games you are going to lose but most of the games are going to that last possession, and we seized it so far. We’re 2-0 in situations like those.”
On QB Desmond Ridder’s response after a tough two weeks: “He did what he had been doing in practice. He has just been making the good read, getting the ball to his playmakers and just playing good football. Today, I think this is the best he’s been in his career, but you see it in practice. So I think he is just getting more comfortable, and I was really impressed with him today.”
On defense making stops: “I think we had a great game plan. We executed pretty well. I still don’t like the last drive though, that one still hurts. But we will watch the tape and figure it out. This defense is special, and we have a chance to be really good. I feel like we’re just questioning ourselves on how good we could be. We have been playing good football, but there’s better football for us.”
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