Atlanta Falcons: 3 Players that must shine vs. Colts in Week 3
3. Calvin Ridley
The first player that is going to have to stand out and shine for the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 is young wide receiver Calvin Ridley. Ridley is off to a strong start to his sophomore year in the NFL, building off of an impressive rookie campaign that he put together during the 2018 season.
Through two weeks so far this year, Ridley has totaled 169 yards receiving on 12 catches and a total of 16 targets. In each of the first two games, Ridley has also been able to record one touchdown reception to bring his season total to two touchdown catches heading into Sunday’s contest.
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Going back to his performance in Week 2, Ridley was able to finish the game and help his team to a much-needed win over Philadelphia while grabbing over 100 yards receiving for the first time this year. With a total of 105 yards receiving in the game against the Eagles, Ridley hauled in eight catches on 10 targets, tallying one touchdown on 13.1 yards per catch.
In the Week 1 loss to the Vikings on the road, Ridley grabbed a total of four catches for 64 yards and one touchdown. Along with averaging 16 yards per catch, his longest reception in that game was a 20-yard catch while serving as the primary target on the outside of the field with Minnesota holding Julio Jones in check on the other side.
Entering the third week of action this weekend, Ridley has once again displayed his ability to be a nice piece within the Falcons offense and is a very nice piece to pair alongside the star power of Jones.
In Week 3 against the Colts on the road, Ridley will have to step up and shine once again to help his team win their second straight game, especially as Jones continues to be the focal point that every opposing defense will focus on.
And if Jones happens to put together a solid performance as he did in the Week 2 win, that only helps Ridley and opens things up for the young wideout within the Falcons offensive uint.