Falcons BREAKING: Marcus Mariota Benched, Rookie QB Desmond Ridder New Starter

The Atlanta Falcons' quarterback decision means a change from Marcus Mariota and rookie Desmond Ridder.

The Atlanta Falcons are making a major change. 

The Falcons might be on their bye week, but there's far from a shortage of intrigue surrounding the team.

To be more specific, all eyes are on Falcons coach Arthur Smith, who's set to announce Atlanta's starting quarterback for the Week 15 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

And on Thursday morning comes a report from NFL Network: The rookie is in. The vet is out.

The decision came down to whether Smith wanted to stick with veteran Marcus Mariota, who's accumulated 2,657 total yards of offense but thrown for over 200 yards just three times through the season's first 13 games, or hand the keys over to Desmond Ridder, a third-round rookie who went 34 of 56 for 431 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in the preseason but hasn't seen the field since.

Earlier this week, Smith said "there will be changes made," and acknowledged the possibility that a swap of quarterbacks could be one of them, though the decision wouldn't be made until he and his staff went through a series of "intense meetings."

Ridder is now the starter, with Mariota on the bench, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport who earlier this week revealed the scenario in which Ridder could play while sharing his personal stance on the matter.

"The way it was explained to me is that if the Falcons are out of it, we may see Desmond Ridder," Rapoport said. "But, if you start to feel like your team is good enough - if everything is good enough except the quarterback, and you're still in it, and you have someone who's burning a hole in your pocket like Desmond Ridder, maybe it makes sense. To me, it makes sense."

The initial motive behind keeping Mariota was that the Falcons were firmly in the playoff hunt and the eighth-year pro offered the best chance to win games.

But now, with Atlanta losing four of its last five games and trailing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a game and a half in the NFC South, playoff hopes are beginning to dwindle - which opens up the door for Ridder to slide in.

"We'll see what the Falcons end up doing - I don't know - but if they did go to Desmond Ridder, to me, this is the perfect time," Rapoport said. "Either you're just out of it, which you're out of it anyways, or he's the guy who plays five percent better and brings you back. Mariota's been solid; some of those plays this past week were not solid."

Mariota went 13 of 24 for 167 yards, one touchdown and an interception as the Falcons fell 19-16 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in what was viewed as a crucial game to getting the season back on track.

It marked Atlanta's sixth one-score loss of the season and second in as many games, recreating the "so close yet so far" feelings that have haunted the franchise for the last several years.

Ultimately, it's figuring out how to start winning those games more consistently that's the biggest priority for Smith, as opposed to allowing the results of other teams dictate the decision that he and his staff make.

"We've got to get over this hump here and there's a lot of things at stake," said Smith. "So (Tampa Bay's results) will not have an impact. It's what's going to be best for this team, short term and long term."

Now, what's best is to roll with Ridder.

---

You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

Get your HOTlanta Falcons game tickets from SI Tickets ... here!

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Falcons? Click Here.

Follow Falcon Report on Twitter.

Want even more Atlanta Falcons news? Check out the Si.com team page here