3 Atlanta Falcons under the most pressure in week one

1. Desmond Ridder

Already a very large part of sports media has dismissed the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback never giving him a deserved chance. This isn't to say Ridder is the long-term answer but the quarterback hasn't done anything as of yet to push the needle in either direction starting four games at the end of the season as a rookie with a team that was beat up and packing it in for next season.

It isn't only sports media that is writing off the Falcons starter but a portion of his own fanbase as well. Early on this season every game and every throw is going to have an overreaction to both the positive and negative.

Every throw is going to be dissected as proof of why Ridder is or isn't the answer. The pressure is on Desmond both to prove the entire off-season of coverage wrong as well as getting off to a solid start to ease concerns within his own fanbase.

This isn't to say Ridder needs to go out and put up huge numbers but rather the quarterback needs to be consistent and protect the football allowing the run game to do its job and playing point guard at a high level.