ATLANTA — With the Atlanta Falcons back at Mercedes-Benz Stadium after a fruitless fortnight elsewhere, a fast start to Sunday’s game and a home win could take some heat off Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder.
A third-round draft pick in 2022, Ridder started the final four games last season to secure the job entering his second pro season. He helped Atlanta to consecutive home wins in the first two games, but now back-to-back road losses have dropped the Falcons to .500 ahead of a visit from the Houston Texans, who are also 2-2 but trying for their first three-game winning streak since 2018.
Falcons coach Arthur Smith said “the easy thing is to jerk the wheel” by benching Ridder. He is backed up by journeyman Taylor Heinicke, who was Washington’s full-time starter two years ago, but Smith said he is not making a change this week.
It could be argued that grabbing the wheel is a dangerous tactic only when a car is moving, and too often the Falcons’ transmission has been stuck in park with Ridder driving. The Falcons have scored only one touchdown in their past two games, a 20-6 loss to the Detroit Lions and last week’s 23-7 setback against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. Ridder was hurt by three turnovers against the Jaguars, who led 17-0 at halftime at Wembley Stadium.
The Falcons also went 2-2 in Ridder’s audition as the starter to close out a 7-10 showing last season.
Smith said a good start could do wonders for Ridder, who has three touchdown passes and three interceptions this season.
“So you’re talking about eight starts, 4-4, the biggest obstacle we’ve got is starting fast,” Smith said. “The last two results were hard to win, not getting off to a start and putting yourself in a hole like that.”
Another poor performance by Ridder and the rest of the unit at home could force Smith’s hand. Now in his third season as head coach of the Falcons, the former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator is trying to end a frustrating run for Atlanta, which most recently had a winning record and made the playoffs in the 2017 season.
“I don’t let the outside noise affect me,” Ridder, who is 4-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, said Wednesday. “I just know what I have to do every single day and that’s improve.”
Ridder said the offense is “just a few simple things” away from success.
“It’s an inch or a guy away from a play breaking or busting from us being able to carry that momentum and keep the drive going,” Ridder said. “… Whatever it may be, it’s just one little thing here or there on each of those plays.”
Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick of April’s draft, isn’t facing questions about job security. The rookie’s 1,212 passing yards rank fourth in the NFL and are the second most in a player’s first four games, behind Cam Newton’s 1,386 for the Carolina Panthers in 2011. Stroud has thrown 151 passes without an interception, an NFL rookie record, and has six touchdown passes.
Houston coach DeMeco Ryans said Stroud’s experience at Ohio State has helped him flourish as a rookie.
“He played a lot of football in college, and you’ve seen some of the same things,” Ryan said. “Whether it’s looking off safeties, moving curl flat defenders, he’s done that in college, and it continues to show. He’s a good quarterback.”
Houston’s injury-plagued offensive line — and thus Stroud — should get a boost this week with the expected return of two key players. Star left tackle Laremy Tunsil (knee) and right tackle Tytus Howard (hand surgery) have practiced after both missed significant time. Howard, who signed a three-year, $56 million contract extension in July, can’t wait to get on the field with Stroud.
“Oh, yeah, C.J. is a baller,” Howard said. “I’m just excited to be part of the team, being able to help do what I can for us to win more games.”
Meanwhile, Houston receiver Nico Collins, a 2021 third-round pick, is just 54 receiving yards shy of surpassing his career high of 481 from last season.
Collins had seven catches for a career-high 168 yards — the most receiving yards by a Texan since 2020 _ and two touchdowns last week in a 30-6 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has become Stroud’s favorite target, and his 428 receiving yards rank fifth in the league.
“We’re not done,” Collins said. “We’ve got to keep growing.”
The Falcons rank fifth in the league in pass defense and seventh overall, and cornerback Jeff Okudah returned from an ankle injury last week. The secondary also includes cornerback A.J. Terrell and safeties Jessie Bates and Richie Grant. Bates has three interceptions.
“They’re all really good players,” Stroud said. “They fly around, they’re aggressive, they want to guard you man to man, and they’re going to be in your face all game. For us, we’ve got to be ready to play a really, really hard game.”