Things obviously didn’t go perfectly, however, with Ridder’s top highlight being an impressive (if not slightly off target) deep pass to Kyle Pitts for 34 yards. Sunday’s game should not be a referendum on Desmond Ridder. After all, we’re just a few years removed from Duron Harmon starting at free safety. Two picks and one forced fumble resulting in 17 of Atlanta’s 24 points is crazy.Ītlanta has been so short of impact players on its defense that even after only one game, the team’s newest safety is a breath of fresh air. We named Bates the game’s MVP and there was no debate. Any rumblings about him potentially being overpaid are long gone. You can’t have a better debut game than Sunday’s Bates performance.
For instance, can Arthur Smith and Desmond Ridder put together a pass game? I’m not sure.īut I am sure about five things after Week 1. We still don’t know a lot about this team. The Falcons kicked off the 2023 season with a win, the first time the team won its first game since the Martin Van Buren presidency.
