3 Reasons the Atlanta Falcons made the right decision starting Ridder

3. Arthur Smith's season deserves to be determined by Desmond Ridder

There are many frustrations with Arthur Smith among Atlanta Falcons fans right now. The lack of ability to get the ball to his star players in the biggest moments is without question at the top of the list. This is closely followed by a boring passing attack and his bravado and comments that are seemingly never backed up with winning.

Among those comments has been a stout defense of Desmond Ridder. Almost scoffing at the idea of a quarterback change and talked about what a proven winner that Ridder has been. This is all well and good until you decide to bench your quarterback in the middle of a game and continue to start your veteran backup each of the next two weeks.

It makes Smith's comments and defense seem disingenuous. If you truly believed all of this about Ridder why was he ever benched in the first place? With the way that Smith has handled this season, the offense, and the quarterback situation having his tenure defined by Ridder is fitting.

A strong finish from the Atlanta quarterback will have the Falcons sneaking into the playoffs as the NFC South winners. Anything else will be a step back for this team and demand Arthur Blank consider making a change this off-season.