3 Things Desmond Ridder must do to save his Atlanta Falcons tenure

1. Stop staring down Atlanta Falcons receivers

You know a season is never going well for a quarterback when the first thing that must change is staring down his receivers. The quarterback's eyes are his weapon in the pocket, used to manipulate the defense. Ridder has shown an ability to read the field in his pressers and with how he has played for stretches of this season.

Desmond has to prove in the final five games he can take his knowledge and translate it into real time production. A lot of Ridder's turnover issues this season are simply because the quarterback is holding the football staring down his receiver and forcing the throw after the defense reacts. Yes, there have also been a handful of missed throws but the Falcons can live with those if Desmond can stop leading the defense to the football.

Criticism is deserved for Arthur Smith's passing schemes and how poorly he sets up his quarterback. However, Ridder is to blame for staring at these concepts far too long and forcing throws that aren't there. We saw growth in this last weekend with Desmond throwing the ball away or making quick decisions. If this continues for Ridder that is the first step in putting his name back into consideration as the starter.