3 Reasons Desmond Ridder is the Atlanta Falcons starter for the rest of 2023

1. Arthur Smith's stubbornness

The Atlanta Falcons are going to live and die by how their head coach wants to approach the game and who he believes in on the roster. Arthur Smith has proven he can get the most out of an average roster but is yet to prove he knows how to take a team into the playoffs. Whether it was with Jalen Mayfield, Marcus Mariota, or with Desmond Ridder the head coach has proven to be stubborn when it comes to making changes.

At every press conference and after every win or loss the head coach has defended Ridder as much as possible. Whether the quarterback deserved to be defended or not his head coach had his back and made it clear Ridder is Atlanta's quarterback. A change is only going to happen if Arthur Smith is fired, Ridder implodes beyond hope, or the quarterback deals with an injury.

If the turnovers and two-game stretch against the Lions and Jaguars don't have Smith considering a change imagine what it would take for the head coach to move on. Ridder is going to be this team's quarterback for the rest of the season barring something unexpected and Arthur Smith has made it clear he will live with the consequences.