Falcons Sticking With Marcus Mariota Over Desmond Ridder; Right Decision?

Marcus Mariota is facing noise from the critics. But the Atlanta Falcons feel he gives them the best chance to win at quarterback.

The Atlanta Falcons are expected to start Marcus Mariota again at quarterback this week against the Chicago Bears, a decision many are questioning after the team's two-game losing streak.

During the team's last two losses, Mariota has struggled. He failed to reach the 200-yard threshold in each of the defeats and did not look sharp in last Thursday's eye test against the Carolina Panthers in particular.

However, head coach Arthur Smith is sticking to the status quo.

“There is no situation," Smith said. "There was never a situation, ever. I don’t know where that…You understand why the question is getting asked. You lose two games in five days. Everybody wants to panic."

With the Falcons one game back in the NFC South standings following the last two weeks' results, Atlanta sees its window of opportunity slowly shutting. But does that warrant a quarterback change to rookie Desmond Ridder?

A big part of why Falcons fans might want to see a change in quarterback is the amount of potential disparity between Mariota and Ridder. While Mariota has kept the team afloat and put Atlanta in a makeable playoff race, there isn't much more we don't already know about him. Whereas with Ridder, the sky is the limit. If Ridder wasn't in Atlanta, this conversation may not be happening or the pressure may not intensify.

Since the beginning of the offseason, despite what critics were saying about the Falcons, the team has always believed that making the playoffs was a possibility in Atlanta. So the team is exactly on track with where it thought it would be halfway into the season.

Making a change at quarterback signifies something is wrong, but Smith and the Falcons don't see it that way. Had the team beat the Los Angeles Chargers a week ago instead of lose on a last-second field goal, the calls for Ridder would not be as clear.

If the team was tied for first place, the noise would not be as apparent either. It's important to keep in mind that the Falcons have lost all but two games by less than one score. If any of those games flipped the Falcons' way, Mariota would almost unquestionably be the starter.

It's definitely a sexy move to put in the rookie after a losing streak, but Smith feels that sticking with the starter that has gotten the team on the right path so far is the best route to go with.

Mariota and the Falcons face the Bears on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Atlanta.


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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.