Desmond Ridder after an interception. (NFL on Twitter.) Desmond Ridder after an interception. (NFL on Twitter.)
NFLBy Andrew Bucholtz on

Sunday’s early international NFL game in London between the Atlanta Falcons and the Jacksonville Jaguars started as yet another rough one for Falcons’ quarterback Desmond Ridder. On two consecutive series in the second quarter, and even two consecutive offensive plays, Ridder threw interceptions. And the first was returned 61 yards for a touchdown by Dari Williams:

This got even more attention than normal thanks to the ESPN+ alternate Toy Story Sunday Funday broadcast:

After that touchdown, a kickoff and touchback set the Falcons up at their own 35. And Ridder then promptly threw another interception on first down, with this one going to Andre Cisco:

Through the first half, Ridder had completed just nine passes on 14 attempts (64.3 percent) for 73 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions, and his team was down 17-0 at the break. And this adds to what’s been a rough start to a NFL career for the former Cincinnati Bearcats’ quarterback, who the Falcons chose in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft (74th overall).

Last year, Ridder appeared in just four games for Atlanta towards the end of the season. He took over from Marcus Mariota, who had had his own struggles, and completed 73 of 115 passing attempts (63.5 percent) for 708 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. And the Falcons kept him as their starter heading into this season. But it’s been a difficult sophomore campaign for Ridder, who had 55 completions on 88 attempts (62.5 percent) for just 553 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception through the first three weeks, and the Falcons’ 2-1 start was not particularly about good play from him. And his play in the first half Sunday drew incredible criticism, including with Toy Story references:

This also sparked calls for backup Taylor Heinicke:

We’ll see what happens with the Falcons’ quarterback situation, but it’s certainly not going well for Ridder right now.

About Andrew Bucholtz

Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.

View all posts by Andrew Bucholtz