The debut of Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder proved disappointing in the team's 21-18 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 15. But was he set up to fail due to the defensive struggles early in the game and some questionable play-calling from head coach Arthur Smith? Aaron Freeman breaks down the pros and cons of Ridder's debut performance, Drake London's late-game fumble, and Tyler Allgeier's breakout performance. He also discusses if the defensive problems were due to the absence of defensive coordinator Dean Pees and if changes are in order for the Falcons secondary. Did the early deficit for Smith and Ridder to be more aggressive with their play-calling early on? Did Smith make some questionable decisions with late-game management? Aaron seeks to answer those questions and more on today's episode. Part of the @LockedOnATL Find and follow Locked On Falcons on your favorite podcast platforms: Apple, Audacy, Google, Spotify and more! https://linktr.ee/falcfans Aaron provides in-depth analysis into the Atlanta Falcons. Film breakdowns, insightful interviews and other hot-button topics surrounding the Falcons are covered on the daily podcast Locked On Falcons across the entire NFL calendar from the regular season through the offseason. And follow Aaron on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about Atlanta Falcons and talking with fans: https://twitter.com/falcfans Follow the show: https://twitter.com/lockedonfalcons Join our brand new Discord server! https://discord.gg/lockedonfalcons Support Us by Supporting Our Sponsors! LinkedIn LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at https://LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to https://built.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order. BetOnline https://BetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts! PrizePicks First time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s https://PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDON SimpliSafe With Fast Protect™️ Technology, exclusively from SimpliSafe, 24/7 monitoring agents capture evidence to accurately verify a threat for faster police response. There’s No Safe Like SimpliSafe. Visit https://SimpliSafe.com/LockedOnNFL to learn more. Turo Forget boring rental cars and find your drive at https://Turo.com Audible Head over to Locked On NFL for a sneak peak of Block Forever or catch the full series available anywhere you get your podcast. Available everywhere now! NHTSA Drive high, get a DUI. Click HERE to learn more: https://www.nhtsa.gov/campaign/if-you... Ultimate Football GM To download the game just visit GM.com">https://Ultimate-GM.com or look it up on the app stores. Our listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when using the promo LOCKEDON (ALL CAPS) in the game store. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices