National Football League

Falcons, Desmond Ridder look to fix offensive problems in key game against Bucs

Updated Oct. 18, 2023 3:23 p.m. ET

Some NFL coaches are better than others at keeping a poker face on the sidelines, and TV cameras will find the ones who aren't, as was the case with Arthur Smith in the second half of Sunday's loss to Washington.

Quarterback Desmond Ridder, who had three career interceptions in nine games entering the day, threw three in the second half against the Commanders, each taking Smith to another level of frustration as Atlanta's comeback attempt fell short.

"It's not all on him, but he's one of the more accountable people I've coached," Smith said Monday. "Certainly, you can say it's growing pains. … You'd love to be able to say, ‘Passing game is getting a lot better,' but when you throw three picks, the end result is not going to be what you want. ... We've got to eliminate some of these critical errors, but I think you can't deny the fact that the passing game has gotten a lot better."

Ridder's first interception set up a Washington touchdown and a 24-10 deficit for the Falcons in the third quarter, but they rallied to pull within a touchdown with 10:25 to play, with three shots at a tying touchdown.

The first might have been the worst, with a third-and-goal at the 2 scuttled by a delay of game penalty, then an interception in the end zone with 5:11 left. Given another chance by Atlanta's defense, Ridder threw incomplete on a fourth-and-8, and given another chance with two minutes left, he went 5-for-5 for 59 yards, getting the Falcons to the Washington 34.

But the clock ran down again, low enough that Smith had to burn his last timeout with 31 seconds left to avoid another delay penalty (after a spike to stop the clock, no less), and after that timeout, Ridder threw his final pick, ending any hopes of a comeback and sending the Falcons to 3-3 on the season.

Asked if Sunday's game represented a regression for his young quarterback, Smith said he didn't want to make excuses.

"I think you have to acknowledge those are things that happened, right?" he said. "What happened happened, but if you look at it, macro or big picture, there are a lot of things that are expanding. He's making some big-time throws and guys are doing a good job of getting open. That should benefit us, but the critical errors — like I said, when you go minus-three in the turnovers, it's going to get you beat more times than not."

Smith has stayed loyal to Ridder, though another game or two of continued turnovers could have the Falcons turning to backup Taylor Heinicke, who was 12-11-1 as a starter the last two years in Washington. Atlanta is starting to make better use of recent first-round picks Drake London and Kyle Pitts — London has more catches and yards in the past two games (15-203) than he totaled in the first four combined (11-126), and Pitts on Sunday had his first touchdown since last October.

Despite using the No. 8 overall pick on running back Bijan Robinson, the Falcons' run game has regressed as well. Last year, Atlanta ranked third in the NFL in rushing yards and fourth in yards per carry; this year, those rankings are down to 10th in yards and 18th in yards per carry. In two games against top-five run defenses, the Falcons lost to the Lions and Jaguars by a combined score of 43-13. In two games since those, Robinson has totaled 83 yards on 27 carries, and Sunday's trip to Tampa brings another stout run defense, ranking seventh.

Atlanta's offense as a whole has been slow to click. The Falcons rank 29th in first-half scoring, averaging 6.0 points per game, which is why they've trailed in the second half of all six games, including double-digit fourth-quarter deficits in four of them. They were able to rally for comeback wins against the Packers and Texans, but digging an early hole isn't a winning strategy.

For all that frustration, a win in Sunday's game against the Bucs (1 p.m. ET on FOX) would give the Falcons at least a share of the division lead, with winnable games ahead against the Titans, Vikings and Cardinals, who are a combined 5-13. Their best path to win Sunday starts with turnovers — the Bucs are plus-6, among the best in the league, while the Falcons are minus-6, among the worst. Everything is in play for the Falcons if they can start eliminating their own mistakes.

"You can make a lot of excuses, but your record is what it is, and we deserve to be 3-3," Smith said. "Do we think we've had some chances to be better? Absolutely. But that's not where we're at. Good news is we got a huge game Sunday down in Tampa, a chance to get another divisional win that could feel like two. We'll be ready to go."

Greg Auman is FOX Sports' NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.