ATLANTA -- Desmond Ridder had run in a touchdown a moment earlier when television cameras caught him on the team's bench, a broad smile on his face. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback would later insist it was nothing specific.
No sense of relief or satisfaction after seven days where his job as the team's starting quarterback was thoroughly questioned publicly. The reaction was natural because this week was no different than any other.
It was just his play that was. Ridder had his first 300-yard game, fourth game-winning drive and third fourth-quarter comeback of his career in Atlanta's 21-19 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday, one where he was particularly sharp throughout.