BALTIMORE -- Here’s what Desmond Ridder had to say after the 17-9 loss to the Ravens on Saturday:
On getting off slowly to begin the game: “Obviously, we want to come out and start fast every single game and then finish the entire game and play complementary football – both offense and defense – and that was something that we didn’t do off the start. We didn’t get out there, we didn’t start fast, like we said. I think we had two or three quick three-and-outs, which really hurts our defense and puts them back on the field real quick. And that’s something that we just have to be better at as an offense.”
On the intentional grounding call: “Yeah, I mean I didn’t know you could get intentional grounding called when your arm gets hit. I was just trying to get outside the pocket. Obviously, it was a keeper. You know, my first read wasn’t there; I felt the defender on me; I tried to extend it maybe a tick of a second too long than what I should have. But at the end of the day, I mean, my arm was hit, I know. The ref made the call, and at the end of the day, we have to go with what the ref is saying. We then have to play the next play.”
On how he would assess his progress from last week to this week: “Last week after the game, we talked about being settled in the pocket and letting things come to you, and I felt like today and all throughout this practice this past week, that’s what I did pretty well. Just being comfortable in there, you know? Trusting the guys up front to do their job, which they did, and trusting the guys on the outside to win, which they did. So, really just settling in, which I thought I did well, like I said. I just wish we could settle in as soon as the ball kicked off. That’s something we will continue to work on and continue to keep being fast off the start. But, you know, as the game went on, obviously, things got more comfortable, and I just played the game.”
On how he would assess his play in the red zone: “Yeah, situational football. At the end of the day, we look at a couple of things, and when we go back and look at games, you know, red zone, third downs, and turnovers, making sure that we win all three of those things, and obviously, situational football wasn’t our best today. That’s something that we’ll look at, grow and continue to get better at.”
On his connection with WR Drake London: “Drake and I, we have a good friendship, and when we put in, you know, just that camaraderie that we have. … He’s like a brother to me, and it just kind of continues out there on the field.”
On being more comfortable in the pocket: I’m not saying I was going to sit back there and just wait, wait, wait, but I was going to get hit before I was going to push up in the pocket. But like I said, I was trusting the guys up front to do their job and trusting the guys on the outside to win their routes, in which everyone did, which allows me to get time to stand back there comfortably and deliver the ball.
On if the cold temperature was a factor: No, the cold really wasn’t a factor. Once you get out there and the energy is going, … And I know it’s tough for people in the stands to hear us say that cold isn’t a factor. But when you’re out there, and the energy is going, and the juices are going, you’re just doing physical activity. You don’t really feel the environments.
On how tough this loss is: Yeah, I mean it’s tough, you know? It’s tough if you lost the first one, or if you lost the last one. You know, a loss is a loss at the end of the day. That’s not something we came here to do; that’s not something we want to do. Obviously, it’s just about finishing. How can we finish out this season over the next few games? How can we continue to get better for these next two games? And I think the guys are ready to get back to work and just move to next week.
On what the mindset of the team is after being eliminated from the playoffs: Like I said, just finish. No matter what our position is in the division – the playoffs, whatever, it doesn’t matter – just finish. You have to take that day-by-day and take it week-by-week. Finish every single day of practice as hard as you can go and continue to keep working, keep continuing to get better. And then when it comes on Saturday, Sunday, whatever it may be, finish the game. Finish all four quarters – it doesn’t matter what it has to be – and then, obviously, finish the season. We’ve been on a bumpy road up and down this entire year. We wanted to get over that hump today. Obviously, we did not, so now it’s just about going to get the next one.
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Atlanta Falcons 2022 schedule
Sept. 11: Saints 27, Falcons 26
Sept. 18: Rams 31, Falcons 27
Sept. 25 Falcons 27, Seahawks 23
Oct. 2 Falcons 23, Browns 20
Oct. 9 Buccaneers 21, Falcons 15
Oct. 16 Falcons 28, 49ers 14
Oct. 23 Bengals 35, Falcons 17
Oct. 30 Falcons 37, Panthers 34 OT
Nov. 6 Chargers 20, Falcons 17
Nov. 10 Panthers 25, Falcons 15
Nov. 20 Falcons 27, Bears 24
Nov. 27 Commanders 19, Falcons 13
Dec. 4 Steelers 19, Falcons 16
BYE WEEK
Dec. 18 Saints 21, Falcons 18
Dec. 24 Ravens 17, Falcons 9
Jan. 1 vs. Arizona, 1 p.m.
Jan. 8 vs. Tampa Bay, TBD
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