Atlanta Falcons: Is Desmond Ridder the worst quarterback in the NFC?

Looking across the NFC it is fair to wonder if the Atlanta Falcons not only have the worst quarterback in their own division but in the entire NFC. Desmond Ridder has 744 passing yards 3 interceptions and touchdowns through four games this season. These numbers don't fully illustrate how badly the quarterback has played with consistent open receivers and chances missed to give this team a chance.

The defense needs so very little from the Atlanta offense to give the team a great chance to win each week. While there is still some hope a young quarterback figures it out it is obvious that Atlanta is in a lot of trouble if that doesn't happen quickly. The regression for Ridder and overall lack of confidence on the field is alarming and has left the second-year player in the running for the worst starter in the conference.

First let's rule out the players that are obviously not in this discussion: Kirk Cousins, Jalen Hurts, Jared Goff, Brock Purdy, Geno Smith, Matthew Stafford, and Dak Prescott make up the top tier of NFC quarterbacks and are obviously not in the discussion.

Baker Mayfield, Josh Dobbs, Sam Howell, and Jordan Love make up the next group so far this season. All four quarterbacks have far surpassed expectations and are consistently playing their teams in games that they were given very little chance in.

This leaves us with Daniel Jones, Derek Carr, Bryce Young, Desmond Ridder, and Justin Fields making up the bottom of the NFC right now when it comes to quarterback play. Carr and Jones both have far too impressive of a resume to consider either player as the worst in the conference at this point in the season.

Jones and Carr both have had tough starts but their past performance says both players will make adjustments and improve going forward. Bryce Young has been far from impressive but has shown flashes and is a rookie quarterback without a lot of help along the offensive line or at the receiver position. While there are concerns for the Panthers and Bryce for now the rookie quarterback deserves the space and time to develop.

This leaves the worst quarterback spot in the conference down to Desmond Ridder and Justin Fields. Both players are truly playing as if they badly want to the position. Neither quarterback can push the ball down the field or hit open receivers with any consistency. For Fields at least you have the electric ability as a runner, however, Justin has never had a team close to as talented as the one Ridder currently is on.

The answer as to which of these players is truly up for interpretation what is not is both have been awful and are on teams that should be considering a change. While the Bears should ride out the season and hope Fields turns the corner Atlanta should be considering a change with a team that has a real chance of making the playoffs if they can find anything close to consistency from the quarterback position.