Falcons Leave London With Loss, and Questions

The Atlanta Falcons came to London thinking their international game against the Jacksonville Jaguars would be an opportunity to solidify their position as a team on the rise in the NFC South, and prove their critics wrong about their starting quarterback Desmond Ridder being a weak link in the Falcons lineup.

After the game, the Falcons are no closer to ether of those objectives. In fact, they may have stepped back futher then they wanted to be.

The Dirty Birds suffered a painfull loss to the Jags 23-7 in Wembley Arena in an early morning (in Atlanta) game that saw the Falcons struggle in the first half while the Jags imposed it’s will. The Falcons failed to score in the first half while the Jaguars tacked on 17 unanswered points. The Falcons did somewhat better in the second half, with a single touchdown, but on the whole the team had little answers for Jacksonville’s marches to the endzone.

The Jags win over the Falcons was a hoot to the mostly Jacksonvile frendly crowd, but for Falcons fans there and here in Atlanta, the site evoked familiar feelings that even the much hyped Disney+ Toy Story edition of the game could not brighten. Most of them surounding the 2nd year quarterback.

Ridder had a rough game. He completed 19 passes out of 31 attempts for 191 yards. Jaguar QB Trevor Lawrence by contrast went 23 of 30 for 207 yards. Both got a touchdown for their efforts, but Ridder threw two interceptions and was sacked four times, three less than with the Lions last week. Lawrence was sacked twice.

Bijan Robinson was the star Falcon of the game, with 14 carries for 105 yards. Tyler Allgeier went 7 carries for 16 yards.

The Falcons suffered even more indignity when their former running back Calvin Ridley, now playing for the Jaguars, took a pass from Laurence 30 yards for a touchdown in the 1st quarter.

This is a loss that the Falcons would like to have back, no doubt. But the spotlight (or magnifying glass) is drawing harder on Ridder. Observers say he is holding on to the ball too long and not tossing it into the stands rather than staying in the pocket as opposing team pass-rushers are closing in and getting sacked as result. He is also criticized for being less than accurate with his throws. Some are even saying its time for Ridder to be sacked as a starter and that backup QB Taylor Heineke should get the nod.

At least one sports writer says it’s worth it.

“The Falcons have potential to make some noise in the NFC South this season, especially if Bijan Robinson continues his rookie season tear,” writes Fannation’s John Macon Gillespie. “But without a successful quarterback, no NFL franchise will go far in a pass-driven league.”

Ridder admitted after the game he did “a terrible job taking care of the ball.”

Ridder isn’t the only issue. The Falcons in general have been slow to get out of the gate, only getting traction in the latter half of the game when momentum is clearly with the opponent and there’s little time to mount a offense.

Head Coach Arthur Smith stated after the game that starting off slow in the first half was bound to result in problems rallying later in the game.

“[We] put ourselves in a hole again,” he said. “It’s not just one person. You make life hard for yourself. We got to do a better job early in games. There’s no doubt about it.”

“When we don’t get going early and fast, that’s when you feel the press,” said Ridder. “And then we came back into halftime, we reqrouped, came back out and said we got to do what we need to do.”

Although the Falcons are now 2-2 in a highly competitive NFC South, the season is still young and they have 13 more opportunitees to improve. They still have a strong defensive line and an offensive line with potential. But they need to fix their issues in a timely manner, including what’s ailing their passing game.

They will be home next Sunday to face the similarly 2-2 Houston Texans.

Falcons vs. Jaguars: By The Numbers