Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith isn't giving up on quarterback Desmond Ridder just yet.

On Monday, following Week 4's 23-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Smith told reporters that Ridder remains the Falcons' starting quarterback, despite having back-to-back poor outings. 

Falcons HC Arthur Smith: Desmond Ridder is still Atlanta's starter.

— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) October 2, 2023

Let me remind you that this is really no surprise considering Smith gave Marcus Mariota many chances (even after their time in Tennessee) and did not bench him until Week 15 of last season–which was way too late. 

Against the Jaguars on Sunday, Ridder completed just 19 of 31 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown, two interceptions and a lost fumble.

"I did a terrible job of taking care of the ball," Ridder said after the loss. 

There was a glimpse of hope there when Ridder came out of the half and led a scoring drive. 

Smith had no plans at halftime to bench Ridder either, instead, he thought it was a good time to teach Ridder a valuable lesson. 

"Those are tough lessons for a young quarterback," Smith said. "You're going to find out about yourself when you go back out there. So that's why, in the second half, he was able to push the ball down the field a little bit.

"I thought he operated cleaner in the pocket and we were able to get some looks and he was not risk-averse after that, which a lot of times that happens. It goes back to the reality is we got to find a way to jump-start early."

Through four games, Ridder has thrown for 744 passing yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also logged 47 yards on the ground, one rushing touchdown and two lost fumbles.

The Falcons enter Week 5 against the Houston Texans with two victories under their belt and will look to make it to three wins without turning to Taylor Heinicke just yet. 

---

Falcons’ Mack Hollins explains ’emotional’ exchange with Desmond Ridder

Mack Hollins wasn’t the only one who wasn’t happy with Desmond Ridder.