The first round of the quarterback battle with the Atlanta Falcons saw Desmond Ridder deliver a haymaker in the final minutes.
The third-round pick out of Cincinnati faced a fourth-and-9 with less than 100 seconds remaining and Atlanta trailing 23-20.
No one plays for a tie in the preseason, not Arthur Smith.
He watched as the rookie delivered a pass to Jared Bernhardt in the end zone for the score that gave Atlanta a 27-23 victory over the Lions at Ford Field.
DESMOND. RIDDER.
The @AtlantaFalcons take a late lead! 😱
📺: #ATLvsDET on @NFLNetwork (check local listings)
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/J4YYZSADjC pic.twitter.com/RO8keL4bSi— NFL (@NFL) August 13, 2022
Ridder, the 74th overall pick, went 10-of-22 for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns after replacing Marcus Mariota.
The Heisman winner from Oregon, who is on his third team, was 2-of-2 for 36 yards in a brief appearance. Mariota also had a 6-yard TD run.
However, what Falcons faithful are going to come away with from this game is they may have found a gem in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft in Ridder. It’s early but the former Cincinnati Bearcat showed promise.
