Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith wants to see who among his players “can face adversity.” He’s in luck because the Falcons flew home from London on Sunday facing a ton of it after a 23-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The momentum from the team’s 2-0 start is gone; questions about starting quarterback Desmond Ridder are growing; would-be offensive weapons Drake London and Kyle Pitts aren’t producing much, and a promising defensive start is being overshadowed by offensive ineptitude.
“If you’ve got the wrong guys, it’s easy to splinter and ride the roller coaster, but we have the right guys,” Smith said from Wembley Stadium after the loss. “We know we have to get back and get this thing rolling and get back on the winning track.”
Here are five takeaways from the Falcons’ third game in London, where they are now 1-2 in regular-season games:
The questions start at quarterback
The most telling comment from Smith after the game was this: “It’s always going to start with me, and we have to go back and objectively look at everything. Whatever we have to do to get this thing jump-started is what we’re going to do.”
That “whatever” has to include considering a change at quarterback. Smith told ESPN during a halftime interview Sunday that he didn’t consider replacing Ridder with veteran backup Taylor Heinicke for the second half, but he could have been forgiven if the thought crossed his mind.
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Ridder was 9-for-14 for 73 yards and two ugly interceptions (on back-to-back passes) in the opening 30 minutes. And Jacksonville cornerback Darious Williams’ 61-yard interception return for a touchdown with 4:31 left in the second quarter, fairly or not, felt like it ended the Falcons’ chances to win the game.
“I did a terrible job of taking care of the ball,” Ridder said afterward. “That changed the momentum of the game. We have to find a way to start faster, whatever we have to do, and I have to do a better job of taking care of the ball.”
Smith called the interceptions “tough, tough lessons to learn for a young quarterback.” ESPN’s analysts for the game, former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky and former NFL defensive back Louis Riddick, were more blunt.
A collection of their comments throughout the broadcast:
Orlovsky after Ridder overthrew Mack Hollins down the field: “Can’t miss it.”
Riddick: “You don’t want (the defense) getting discouraged because your quarterback is out there making it impossible for you to win. That’s something Arthur Smith has to keep an eye on short term and long term.”
Orlovsky: “That is a massive misread by Desmond Ridder.”
Riddick: “If you’re going to stare down where you’re going with the football, then a guy like (Jaguars safety) Andre Cisco is going to park in the middle of the field and just read the quarterback. That’s too easy. You cannot just stare down a primary (receiver) in the middle of the field.”
Ridder finished the game 19-for-31 with one touchdown and the two interceptions. Entering Sunday’s full slate of games, he was 22nd in the league in passing yards per game (186) and 25th in passer rating (77.9), according to TruMedia.
Smith didn’t discuss a quarterback change postgame, but he likely thought about it on the long flight home.
Bijan but then what?
Rookie running Bijan Robinson has proved worthy of the No. 8 pick in the first four games of the season. The problem for the Falcons is that he’s having to carry too much of the offense. Robinson had his second career 100-yard rushing game against the Jaguars, finishing with 105 yards on 14 carries. He added five catches (the second most on the team) for 32 yards.
Can’t get enough Bijan.#ATLvsJAX on ESPN+
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Jq9JHUeqb6 pic.twitter.com/0UXf3eTQ0k— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2023
For the season, Robinson has accounted for 36 percent of the Falcons’ scrimmage yards, which was second behind only Las Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams at the conclusion of Atlanta’s game, according to TruMedia.
Robinson is the Falcons’ leading rusher (53 carries for 318 yards) and leading pass catcher with 19 receptions. Tight end Jonnu Smith is their only player with more receiving yards than Robinson’s 134.
The young running back was supposed to be the third part of a three-headed offensive skill-player monster along with wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts, the Falcons’ previous two top-10 picks. Instead, London and Pitts are only occasional participants in the offense. They have 22 combined touches (11 catches each) while Robinson has 72.
(Really) slow starters
The Falcons went into the game knowing they had a problem getting into a rhythm early offensively, and they left the game without fixing it. They trailed 17-0 at halftime. In the last two games, they have been outscored 30-3 in the first half.
“We have to find a way to get jump-started earlier,” Smith said. “It’s always going to start with me. We have the right guys in that locker room. We’re going to get back to Atlanta and we have to get this thing jump-started.”
Even in their wins, the Falcons haven’t been fast starters. Heading into Sunday’s 1 p.m. games, Atlanta was 29th in the NFL in average points (4.75) and yards per play (3.9) in the first half of games, according to TruMedia. Their offensive players looked “a little tight” in the first half, Smith said. The Falcons’ only points of the game came on their first drive of the second half when they went 75 yards on eight plays and Ridder found London for a 15-yard touchdown.
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One bright spot
First-year defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen’s unit continues to impress in adverse circumstances. Atlanta’s defense kept the game within reach and allowed Trevor Lawrence and company only 300 yards of total offense despite the Falcons offense giving Jacksonville three turnovers. Atlanta had two sacks, seven quarterback hurries and was stout against the run all day, allowing the Jaguars running backs only 63 rushing yards.
The Falcons defense ranked eighth in the league in yards per play allowed (4.7) after Sunday’s game.
A defensive wrinkle
One interesting thing to keep an eye on: cornerback A.J. Terrell “traveled” with Jacksonville wide receiver Calvin Ridley at times in the game. That’s a change for Terrell and the Falcons, who usually have their star cornerback stay on one side of the field regardless of the offensive alignment.
Assistant head coach for defense Jerry Gray hinted that the change might be coming but said the Falcons wanted to be sure it didn’t break down the structure of the rest of the defense. Sunday’s results were mixed. Ridley, the former Falcon, finished with only two catches, but one of those was a 30-yard touchdown on a busted coverage. Also, Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram combined for 15 catches for 143 yards.
(Photo: Steve Luciano / Associated Press)
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