Desmond Ridder throws game-winning TD for Falcons on late fourth-down play

Desmond Ridder came up big in his first NFL game with the Atlanta Falcons

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.

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.