FLOWERY BRANCH -- In his late-season audition, Falcons rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder will have gone up against three of the toughest defenses in the NFL and only one that ranked in the bottom half.
Ridder will be on the hot seat at 1 p.m. Sunday when he faces visiting Tampa Bay, who has the ninth-ranked pass defense in the league.
The Falcons have the third-ranked rushing attack in the league. There charge is to improve the passing attack, which led to the change at quarterback when Ridder replaced Marcus Mariota.
Ridder passed for only 97 yards in his first game, when he faced the Saints, who have the third-ranked pass defense.
Ridder passed for 218 the next game, against the Ravens, who rank 24th against the pass, but third against the run.
Ridder passed for 169 yards Sunday against the Cardinals, who rank 25th against the pass.
The Buccaneers will be the third defense that Ridder has faced that is ranked 12th or higher in total defense.
“New Orleans was a pretty good defense,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. “Put Baltimore up there and Arizona, those guys will bring it up front. They threw a lot of different things at him.”
The Bucs, who have clinched the NFC South title, may not play their starters for long.
“We have different challenges this week with another veteran group,” Smith said. “That’s the fun part. Every week’s a challenge, and this will be a good one at home.”
Ridder is 1-2 in his starts. He is looking forward to facing the Bucs.
“They like to confuse the quarterback a lot,” Ridder said. “They play a lot of five down (linemen), like to get after it up front with the rush. They confuse you on the back end to hopefully have you hold the ball for a tick of a second.”
For more content about the Atlanta Falcons
On Facebook at Atlanta Falcons News Now
On Instagram at DorlandoLed
Atlanta Falcons coverage on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Bow Tie Chronicles
Atlanta Falcons 2022 schedule
Sept. 11 Saints 27, Falcons 26
Sept. 18 Rams 31, Falcons 27
Sept. 25 Falcons 27, Seahawks 23
Oct. 2 Falcons 23, Browns 20
Oct. 9 Buccaneers 21, Falcons 15
Oct. 16 Falcons 28, 49ers 14
Oct. 23 Bengals 35, Falcons 17
Oct. 30 Falcons 37, Panthers 34 OT
Nov. 6 Chargers 20, Falcons 17
Nov. 10 Panthers 25, Falcons 15
Nov. 20 Falcons 27, Bears 24
Nov. 27 Commanders 19, Falcons 13
Dec. 4 Steelers 19, Falcons 16
BYE WEEK
Dec. 18 Saints 21, Falcons 18
Dec. 24 Ravens 17, Falcons 9
Jan. 1 Falcons 20, Cardinals 19
Jan. 8 vs. Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
About the Author
