The Atlanta Falcons had a forgettable Monday, thanks to a disastrous performance on the field that resulted in a 24-16 road loss to the New York Jets. While it's just a preseason game, the Falcons failed to provide an overall positive impression on head coach Arthur Smith, who did not hold back when he spoke about rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder following the defeat.
“I got high expectations for Desmond,” Smith said. “So, we're going to be hard on Desmond, 'cause he's a good player, and he can take that kind of coaching. And he understands, we're not waiting on him as a rookie, we're trying to speed him up. He made some good throws. There's some stuff he has to clean up, especially on the operation.”
Desmond Ridder went 10 of 13 for 143 passing yards against the Jets. He did not get picked nor fumbled at any time in the contest. It was a solid but unspectacular showing from the quarterback out of the Cincinnati Bearcats football program. But there are finer details that Smith saw needed some adjustments, hence his postgame comments. Nevertheless, when compared to Feleipe Franks, Desmond Ridder looked like a Hall of Famer in that contest. Franks went 2 of 6 for a mere eight yards. No. 1 Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota, meanwhile, went 6 of 10 for 132 yards and a touchdown with zero interceptions.
What the Falcons obviously did wrong in the contest was the way they managed their penalties. Atlanta, who had a 13-point lead at the half, finished the game with 13 penalties that went for 131 yards. That's certainly an area where Smith would want to see cleaned up when the Falcons take on the winless Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3 of the 2022 NFL preseason on Saturday at home.
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