With fans starting to call for Taylor Heinicke, Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder delivered his best performance of the season in Week 5. Ridder’s career-high 329 passing yards helped Atlanta move to 3-0 at home.
The second-year QB completed over 75 percent of his passes and committed zero turnovers during Sunday’s 21-19 win. This performance was enough for Ridder to jump three spots in CBS Sports’ quarterback rankings. After sitting at No. 31, Ridder is now up to No. 28:
A week after Taylor Heinicke seemed primed to take his spot off the bench, Ridder responded with an efficient day against a tough Texans squad. He’s got grit, we’ll give him that. But can he sustain the momentum for weeks at a time?– Cody Benjamin, CBS Sports
After back-to-back losses, experts were ready for the team move on from Ridder. Even CBS Sports listed him as the QB most likely to be benched going into Week 5.
Atlanta’s next three opponents are the Washington Commanders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans — who rank 21st, 16th, and 23rd respectively in pass defense. All three defenses are allowing over 220 passing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks.
Hopefully, Ridder can build off Sunday’s breakout performance and help the Falcons move to 4-2 on the season.
