FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – The last time the Falcons played the Saints one could say it was Calvin Ridley's "Welcome to the NFL" party.
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Atlanta's rookie receiver caught seven passes for 146 yards and scored three touchdowns.
As the Falcons get ready to travel to New Orleans they can only hope Ridley has another big performance.
It's been a quiet few games for Ridley of late, but as quarterback Matt Ryan said, that's how it goes sometimes because the Falcons have so many different weapons on offense.
"I think he's done a nice job for us," Ryan said of Ridley. "[The] way our offense is built we have so many different weapons that the ball is going to find different guys depending on the week. And they all understand that the matchups kind of dictate where we go."
Ridley is coming off a game in which he caught one pass for five yards and his drop in the fourth quarter that led to an interception by Cowboys' linebacker Leighton Vander Esch that the Cowboys capitalized on and extended their lead, 19-9.
But Ryan isn't worried about Ridley's state of mind right now. He has high expectations for him come Thursday night.
And if there's one rookie who's used to the spotlight, it's Ridley given how many primetime games he played during his time at Alabama.
"I think mentally he's in a good place," Ryan said. "There's ups and downs through every season for all of us and I think he's handled that really well. I expect him to play well."
Ridley has 39 catches for 532 yards and seven touchdowns on the year.
