Falcons Lose to Saints in Ridder’s First Start

Ridder Woes

Desmond Ridder looked like a rookie quarterback in his first NFL start. Ridder completed 13 passes on 26 attempts for 96 yards. He averaged 3.7 yards per throw and clocked in a QBR of 31.9. He failed to complete a pass on the Falcons first two possessions and, when he did begin completing passes, he threw almost exclusively to Drake London.

London is a special receiver and should be Ridder's first option in the game. However, London should not be Ridder's only option. Many of the passes Ridder did complete to London could have been broken up, if not for London's ability to come away with 50/50 balls. Ridder seemed to have trouble communicating with many of his receivers. He made errant throws nowhere near his receivers. He took a few deep shots and overthrew his target every time. Despite his ability to use his legs, the Saints sacked him four times.

Nobody should be impressed with Ridder during this game, but let's give him a few more starts to see his potential. Per Football Outsiders, The Saints rank 12th in pass defense DVOA (0.2%). PFF ranks Cameron Jordan 14th in pass coverage with a grade of (85.1), while Tyrann Mathieu ranks 26th with a grade a 82.8. Demario Davis also had an incredible day, recording 8 tackles and coming very close to two interceptions.

The Saints pass defense is stout and proved too much for Ridder. When it was clear Ridder would struggle, Smith went with his two running back approach to establish control and put some points on the board.

Tyler Algeier

Falcons running back Tyler Algeier had the best game of his career on Sunday. He carried the ball 17 times for 139 yards, including a 43 yard run that set the Falcons up for their first touchdown of the game in the third quarter. The Falcons also utilized Cordarrelle Patterson in the run game. Patterson ran 14 times for 53 yards and 1 touchdown.

The Falcons love to use the dual threat running back approach because it allows them to get the opposing team's defense moving in different ways. Algeier is a powerful back, who the Falcons will run through the A and B gaps. Patterson works better in space and on quick tosses, which gets a defense running side to side. This dual threat enables the Falcons to get creative in their blocking scheme.

Patterson and Alegeier both rank in the top ten in DYAR. It is truly incredible to see two running backs on the same team carry equal amounts of importance for an offense.

Offensive Line

The offensive line has been a big part of the run game's success. Atlanta ranks 4th in adjusted line yards (4.82) and 2nd in running back yards (5.00). The Falcons have an incredible right side of the line with Chris Lindstrom at right guard and Kaleb McGary at right tackle. PFF ranks both of these lineman in the top 5 in run blocking. Lindstrom is ranked 2nd with a 92.2 rating.

Curiously, the Falcons have given up 32 sacks this year, including 4 agains the Saints on Sunday. This could be a product of trying to play pass protection against running quarterbacks who will extend the play with their legs. Nevertheless, the sacks often kill drives and take the running game out of the equation, forcing Atlanta to pass. Never a good thing.

Atlanta Falcons @ Baltimore Ravens

Saturday, 12/14 at 1:00 pm on CBS