The sun shines on Desmond Ridder and the Atlanta Falcons

ATLANTA — When the oculus roof opens and the sun shines into Mercedes-Benz Stadium, there’s a different feel in the building. Fresh air, fall breezes and bright sunlight blanket the field and the stands in a warm glow. It’s like a slice of college football in the midst of the sleek, professional NFL.

Maybe that’s why Desmond Ridder, so good in college that he led a Group of Five school to the College Football Playoff, had his finest day as a professional on Sunday. Ridder orchestrated a game-winning drive — more on that in a minute — but more than that, he remained upright, he avoided sacks, he used his legs for the good of the team and every pass he completed was to one of his teammates.

“Pretty damn good,” Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said of Ridder’s performance, and then elaborated. “It's a tough job to be a quarterback in this league. That's what they sign up for. A lot of those guys are well compensated. Takes a special mindset. He's got the right mindset.”

The mindset was never in doubt; Ridder has radiated confidence every week. For Falcons fans, the question is the skill set. Coming into Sunday’s game, Ridder had as many interceptions (3) as touchdowns. Both his decision-making and his accuracy, particularly in pressure situations, drew heat. And when Ridder three-and-out’ed in less than 75 seconds on the Falcons’ first drive of the afternoon Sunday against the Houston Texans, he drew waves of boos from a Falcons crowd tired of hoping.

For the first four weeks of the season, the consensus opinion on the Falcons was that Atlanta is an “Everything But” team — as in, Everything But A Quarterback. The defense showed Sunday exactly what it can do, swarming C.J. Stroud and flexing up enough against Houston to force four field goals. Drake London is a threat at wide receiver, Kyle Pitts turns out to be pretty good when the ball is thrown anywhere near him, and Tyler Allgeier is a sledgehammer already in motion when he hits the line.

Bijan Robinson, in particular, is already a star; his hesitation-dribble touchdown looked so much like Allen Iverson busting into the lane that it was a surprise officials didn’t call him for traveling.

Other teams have taken notice of the Falcons' unbalanced attack. “They got wide receivers if they use ‘em,” Texans safety Jimmie Ward said prior to Sunday. “I don’t think they’re trying to pass the ball. They’re trying to out-physical teams and run the ball.”

He’s not wrong. After five games, Ridder ranks 17th in the NFL in attempts, 19th in yards per completion and 20th in completion percentage. Robinson and Allgeier, meanwhile, have split carries almost evenly — 67 and 62, respectively — and combined, they dwarf league leader Christian McCaffrey’s 99 carries.

But something changed in Ridder on Sunday, something that might turn Atlanta from an “Everything But” team to an “Everything And” one. On the first series after the three-and-out, he led the Falcons 75 yards in seven plays, scooting the final 7 yards himself for a touchdown.

Three quarters later, holding the ball with 1:54 remaining and down by 1, Ridder faced his first career-defining moment. Go win the game, he told himself. Don’t try to force anything. You’ve got plenty of time.

In the huddle, he told the Falcons to avoid penalties and get a win. He then took advantage of an incredibly soft Texans defense, first hitting Robinson, then London twice, then Pitts, with a scramble mixed in, marching the ball downfield a chunk at a time. Then Ridder looked deep and found London for a 23-yard strike that set up the eventual game-winning field goal.

Final score: Falcons 21, Texans 19. Final Ridder stats on the final drive: 5-for-5 for 44 yards, one scramble for 5 yards, two knees to bleed off clock and set Younghoe Koo up for the game-winner.

“That was really one of my first true two-minute drives,” Ridder said. “Just calm, cool, collected, didn't rush anything, didn't try to force anything, just played it as it came.”

“Hopefully that does build confidence because now he’s got evidence,” Smith said. “Great fourth quarter comeback.”

Next week, the Falcons will play the Commanders (2-3), followed by a crucial road game against division rival Tampa Bay (3-1). Both are winnable games for Atlanta, especially if the fourth-quarter versions of the Falcons and Ridder show up. Atlanta is a long way from competing for anything beyond a division title, but the NFC South would be a start.

“We know there’s a lot of work to do,” Smith said. “If we think we have all the answers today and we don't continue to improve and grow, you'll get humbled pretty quick. We're not going to take any victory laps.”

A few more victory drives, though, would suit Ridder and Falcons fans just fine.