Atlanta Falcons: 3 positives from Desmond Ridder’s debut vs. Lions

First positive for the Atlanta Falcons’ rookie QB: Desmond Ridder ignored a couple of mistakes, played with pure poise, and showed that he can handle the mental part of the game

The Falcons might have struck gold in finding a quarterback that has the mental part of the game under control.

A quick disclaimer though, this whole list is based on one game in the preseason, which is not the same as the regular season, obviously. While he looked great in the first game, we need to take it with a grain of salt. Plenty of players have been preseason stars but could never figure it out when the bright lights are on. Nevertheless, this is still football at a professional level and it was a good sign.

Anyways, from the very first snap, Desmond Ridder ran out there with pure conviction and confidence. There was just something about the vibe he gave off, almost like he was telling everybody on the field that he is better than him, which is the confidence you need.

It really seemed like he had been there a thousand times before.

Not only does that help your play but it also shows your teammates that you have trust in yourself and them.

On the two passes that should have been interceptions — one which was negated by a controversial roughing the passer penalty, the other was simply dropped — he did not let that get in his head. It was as if nothing happened and on both occasions, he ended up throwing a touchdown to end both of those drives.

Not only did he overcome a couple ill-advised passes, but he also overcame drops by his receivers and overall ineffectiveness by them.

He played under control, when he did not see anyone open, he did not hesitate to gain yards on the ground. He did not take any sacks, he lead the team in rushing, he led the team in passing yards, and most importantly, he led the team to a win.

The kid just looked like he was just taking a stroll through the park on a Friday night.