ATLANTA — All the talk from Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith over the past year-plus about Desmond Ridder’s poise and composure meant little until the young quarterback demonstrated he could shine in the final minute of an NFL game with the outcome on the line.
Well, now Smith has ample proof — and Ridder has a last-second comeback win as an impressive answer to his critics.
Ridder passed and ran for touchdowns, providing a response to those who had called for him to be benched after back-to-back road losses, Younghoe Koo kicked a go-ahead 37-yard field goal as time expired, and the Falcons snapped their two-game skid by beating the Houston Texans 21-19 on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“Now he’s got evidence: a great fourth-quarter comeback,” Smith said of Ridder, a third-round draft pick out of the University of Cincinnati in 2022 who started Atlanta’s final four games last season and remained No. 1 on the depth chart this fall.
After Houston took a 19-18 lead with 1:49 remaining, Ridder completed each of his five passes on the final drive to set up Koo’s winning kick for the Falcons (3-2).