–The emergence of wide receiver Calvin Ridley the last two weeks has helped spark the Falcons offense. Ridley was hardly used in the season opener at Philadelphia. He has been a key part of the game plan the last two weeks.
Against the Saints, Ridley caught seven passes for 146 yards and three touchdowns. He pulled in a career-long 75-yarder for a score and became the first Atlanta rookie to catch three touchdown passes in a game and the seventh player in franchise history to do so.
“One of the things that jumps out is the speed he practices with,” head coach Dan Quinn said. “He’s one of the two fastest players at practice. It allows him to run routes at full speed and the timing you’re seeing with him and Matt (Ryan) is because of the way he works.”
Ridley has seen how fellow Alabama alum Julio Jones goes about his business and is right there with him.
“From the time he got here, the work that he puts in on the practice field, like he constantly empties the bucket to get ready,” Quinn said. “He does not cut corners.”
–After whiffing from the red zone in the opener, the Falcons have been taking advantage of their opportunities inside the 20. Ryan has been able to dial up Ridley, tight end Austin Hooper, wide receiver Mohamed Sanu and Jones to improve their effectiveness.
Through three games, the Falcons have produced 13 red-zone drives and scored on nine. That’s tied for the fourth-most in the NFL. The only teams with more are the Ravens (12) and Chiefs and Saints (11 each). The Rams also have nine.
The Falcons have scored on eight consecutive red-zone drives, the second-longest active streak in the NFL.
“I think we can play with a lot of confidence,” quarterback Matt Ryan said. “The production has been there. We’ve done a lot of really good things on that side of the ball. We can be a lot better, too.”
BY THE NUMBERS: 3 — Scoring drives of at least 10 plays for Atlanta against the Saints. The Falcons have had four 10-play scoring drives this season.
