Flick's Forum: Why Time is Now for Falcons' Desmond Ridder, Marcus Mariota QB Swap
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota knew the situation.
There were just over 40 seconds on the clock, and he had to lead his offense some 60 yards down the field with no timeouts to give kicker Younghoe Koo a shot to tie the game.
Mariota dropped back to pass, navigated the pocket and fired over the middle for rookie receiver Drake London, the team's top wideout.
Intercepted. Ball game.
That was the final chapter of Sunday's 19-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium ... and potentially Mariota's epilogue as Atlanta's starting signal caller.
For the game, Mariota finished 13 of 24 for 167 yards with one touchdown and an interception - but in the second half of a must-have game, he faltered, connecting on only four of eight passes for 45 yards and a score.
For much of the contest, the former Heisman Trophy winner was sporadic with his ball placement, missing high a seemingly frequent amount of the time. Inconsistent accuracy happens during games, but Mariota seemed to struggle throughout, including on straightforward concepts like curls and digs that have been executed all year.
After throwing for over 200 yards twice in the season's first three weeks, Mariota has done so just once since. His legs have played a key part in Atlanta fielding the league's third-best rushing attack ... but he mustered only 17 yards on three attempts Sunday. If he's not contributing through the air, the ground element needs to be there - and it just wasn't.
The primary motivation behind keeping Mariota as the starter over rookie third-round pick Desmond Ridder has been Atlanta's presence in the playoff race with Mariota under center. Pending the result of Monday night's affair between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints, the Falcons could be as far back as a game and a half out of the NFC South lead, or as close as half a game.
If Tampa Bay loses each of its next two games, Atlanta will return from its bye week tied atop the division ... but with a 5-8 record and as losers of four of its last five. In essence, the Falcons are still in the mix, but there's little in the way of recent success to support keeping everything intact.
Falcons coach Arthur Smith, who was the offensive coordinator when Mariota was benched by the Tennessee Titans in 2019, has been one of the former Oregon Ducks star's biggest supporters throughout the year, but even he seems to have adopted a new tone.
While not committing one way or another to making a change, Smith did acknowledge that there are benefits to quarterback swaps ... among them is something desperately needed for the current state of the Falcons offense.
"There are plenty of examples where (change) can help spark something," Smith said. "Every option is on the table."
Atlanta has scored just one touchdown in its last six quarters, losing two games in which its defense allowed only 19 points in each. The "spark" has been lacking - and Ridder could be the guy.
So, why now for Ridder?
The bye week always seemed to be the right time, as the additional week off provides extra time for both Ridder and the coaching staff to prepare both mentally and schematically for the challenge at hand.
With Atlanta's recent run of form (or lack thereof), it's grown evident that Mariota simply isn't the answer - and the Falcons need to know what they have in Ridder. In essence, with the team - and offense - struggling, what is there to lose?
Perhaps it's a different story if the Falcons were winning games even if Mariota wasn't exactly lighting the world on fire; after all, that's largely how the first half of the season went and was why Smith stuck with the veteran.
But now, with the team going just 1-4 in its last five games and Mariota not doing enough to push the team over the top, the topic of discussion once again becomes: what is there to lose?
There's the element of Ridder's development - which the Falcons "love" - potentially being at risk, as Atlanta devises plans for each of its rookies and being the starter over Mariota might not have been those in plans.
But the Falcons were confident enough to keep Ridder as the backup quarterback over any number of veteran options, an indication that they're comfortable and confident if he's forced to action ... and the same mindset should be adopted if the time is right for him to get his chance.
Mariota's character is exemplary; even with fans calling for his job seemingly from the moment he signed his contract in March, he's been nothing but grateful. He's commonly described as a great teammate, leader and role model for those around him. If he's benched, it'll be a difficult day for the members of Atlanta's locker room.
But on that same note, the players and coaches inside the building have a job to do: win games, both in the short and long term. Smith's reasoning behind keeping Mariota as the starter was his ability to do exactly that in the present, but with team success and player performance both drifting in the wrong direction, the concerns surrounding Ridder's readiness largely become moot.
With Ridder, there's an element of unknown that could lead to a steep downfall in overall play of the team; after all, three of Atlanta's four losses in the five-game stretch have been by six points or less, with the other a 10-point loss on the road to the Carolina Panthers, which Smith pointed out last week was a one-possession game before a field goal in the final seconds pushed it to two.
Nonetheless, if the team is losing - what is there to lose by making a quarterback change? Some may argue the locker room, others will point to a concern over team competitiveness ... but arrow points once more to Atlanta's struggles since the calendar flipped to November.
On the flip side, what is there to lose by not making a change? That answer is simple - a loss of evaluation time on Ridder in a season that is quickly getting away from the Falcons.
The organization needs to know what it has in Ridder, be it good or bad, to properly understand the direction of the team moving forward. A four-game sample size is enough for him to prove whether or not he has the traits needed, and from there, whether he can take coaching and get better.
With Mariota under center, the Falcons learn little about themselves in the long run while seemingly sacrificing very little in the present.
By all accounts, with the state of the team, bye week finally on the schedule and Smith's press conference tone, the storm of ingredients points more to Ridder than it has at any point this season - and the future just might be now for the Falcons.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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