The Atlanta Falcons’ air attack finally came to life in a 21-19 Week 5 win over the Houston Texans.
Quarterback Desmond Ridder connected with 10 different receivers on his way to passing for a career-high 329 yards and a touchdown. Ridder was especially strong when his team needed him the most.
After the Texans took a 19-18 lead with 1:49 remaining, Ridder orchestrated a 10-play, 56-yard drive to move the Falcons (3-2) within Younghoe Koo’s field-goal range to set up the game-winning score as time expired.
Just one week after reporters asked Arthur Smith if he would replace Ridder as the team’s starter, the Falcons’ head coach reiterated the belief his team has in its young quarterback.
“It’s not just what I decided to do, it’s how the team feels,” Smith said Monday. “I think sometimes you try to force agendas and that’s not the right thing to do, but you can get a feel of the team. His teammates believe in him. And again, you got a quarterback making his ninth NFL start yesterday, those guys believe in him so it’s more of like ‘Hey, let’s go, we’ve got your back.’ I thought he played well and responded.”
On the game-winning drive, the second-year signal caller completed all five of his passes for 44 yards. His 23-yard dart to wideout Drake London with less than a minute to play moved Atlanta to Houston’s 26-yard line, which set up Koo’s kick.
Ridder and his Atlanta teammates will face a hungry opponent this Sunday when they host the Washington Commanders (2-3). Washington is coming off a disappointing 40-20 Thursday night loss to the Chicago Bears just a few days after it dropped a 34-31 overtime heartbreaker to the Philadelphia Eagles, one of the league’s best teams.
“They had essentially a mini-bye (after playing last Thursday) so they have had more time to prepare,” Smith said. “It’s a talented team that we know pretty well. We’ve had two close battles with them that we’ve been on the wrong side of, so we know how good this front is that they have and they’ll be ready to roll. They got real good skill players on offense, too, so we’re excited.”
The Commanders enter the matchup averaging 21.8 points per game, which is ranked 17th in the league. But Washington’s defense is ranked 31st in the NFL and is allowing 32.0 points per outing despite having one of the best defensive fronts in football.
–Right tackle Kaleb McGary left Sunday’s game in the second half, but Smith said Monday the injury was “nothing major.” Defensive tackle Calais Campbell is also dealing with some “bumps and bruises” according to the coach.
Smith said the next 48 hours will determine McGary’s and Campbell’s statuses for the Commanders game.
–Second-year linebacker Nate Landman made his second consecutive start in place of the injured Troy Andersen, who is on IR. A former undrafted free agent, Landman recorded seven tackles against the Texans.
“He’s an instinctive football player,” Smith said. “He’s smart. All of the things you look for.”
–Tight end Kyle Pitts and wideout Drake London were heavily involved in the offense against the Texans. Pitts had team highs in receptions (seven) and yards (87), while London had six catches for 78 yards.