Getty Cordarrelle Patterson #84 and Calvin Ridley #18 of the Atlanta Falcons.
The Atlanta Falcons are “across the pond” preparing for a Sunday afternoon showdown in London against the New York Jets.
However one of their major key players, Calvin Ridley, did not make the trip due to a personal issue that came about on Thursday, just a few hours before the team departed for England.
Despite the absence of Atlanta’s top receiver, Jets’ first-year head coach Robert Saleh is not taking this matchup any lighter.
“Ridley is a heck of a football player,” Saleh said during Friday’s press conference when asked how his absence might affect the game. “But at the same time, they still have a lot of weapons with Cordarrelle Patterson––he’s rejuvenated. Matt Ryan can get the ball to anyone. Their draft pick Kyle Pitts is pretty freakin’ good, so it’s challenging––a lot of weapons over there.”
Ridley currently leads the Falcons with 255 receiving yards and 27 receptions and one score. Patterson leads the team with four touchdowns and is not too far from Ridley with 234 receiving yards. And behind him is Pitts with 189 yards receiving.
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Patterson’s Biggest Game Came in Week 4
Patterson’s had himself a career day in Week 4’s 34-30 loss to the Washington Football Team. He recorded 82 receiving yards and three touchdowns by the third quarter and added 16 more yards on the ground.
His third and toughest touchdown came while battling Washington’s cornerback Kendall Fuller.
He’s also earned the approval and trust of QB1 Matt Ryan.
“He’s been awesome,” Ryan told Heavy. “He’s played unbelievable. He’s a great teammate, great in the locker room, fun to be around and works really hard. I’m happy for him. I knew he was a good player having played against him in the past and seeing him from afar. But the impact he’s made for our team––the way our coaching staff has done a great job of utilizing him in a number of different ways––it’s been fun.
“He’s definitely is an energy setter for our team. People definitely feel his emotion…it’s infectious. So, he’s been awesome he’s played great and I’m certainly happy he’s here.”
Patterson Is a Former 2013 First-Round Pick
Cordarelle Patterson, a former No. 29 overall pick, was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2013 out of the University of Tennessee.
In four seasons as a Viking, Patterson appeared in 64 games with 22 starts and caught 132 passes for 1,316 yards and seven touchdowns. He also averaged 10.7 yards on the ground with Minnesota.
From there, he spent time with the then-Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots in 2017 and 2018. His most recent stint has been two seasons with the Chicago Bears.
At 30 years old, Patterson has earned himself first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors four different times as a kick returner and name to second-team All-Pro honors twice in his career. Just last season, he led the NFC in kick return average with 29.1. which qualifies as the second-highest in the league behind Pro Football Hall of Famer Gale Sayers.
And since joining the NFL in 2013, Patterson was led all kickoff returners in touchdowns with eight, tying with Josh Cribbs and Leon Washington for the most in league history.
In eight seasons thus far, Patterson has played in 127 games and recorded 216 receptions for 2,087 yards and 10 touchdown catches. He has also rushed for 167 career carries for 1,017 yards adding eight more touchdowns on the ground.