Marcus Mariota Reveals Mistake That 'Hurt' Falcons in Loss vs. Panthers
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota recorded 229 yards from scrimmage in Thursday night's 22-15 loss to the Carolina Panthers, his fourth-highest output of the season.
However, it was visually one of his worst performances of the season, as he constantly put the ball in danger but escaped with just one interception while taking five sacks, finishing 19 of 30 passing for 186 yards and two touchdowns and adding 43 more yards rushing.
With the Falcons down to third string left guard Colby Gossett and facing a talented Carolina front headlined by defensive tackle Derrick Brown and edge defender Brian Burns, Mariota was under pressure for most of the night - but it was how he handled the constant fire that set off alarms.
As an eighth-year veteran, there's an expectation that Mariota will be smart and responsible with the ball. But too many times on Thursday night he was forced to depart the pocket and then threw some type of ill-advised or cross-body throw into heavily contested parts of the field, including a twisting, flailing, blind throw in the fourth quarter while he was falling to the turf.
Mariota was asked after the game whether he felt like he was pressing, and to the 29-year-old's credit, he admitted what many on the outside felt was a foregone conclusion.
"Yeah, I was," the former Heisman Trophy winner said. "I was playing a little bit outside of myself, trying to make a play too many times, and it hurt our team."
For much of the first half, Atlanta's offense struggled to run the ball in the wet confines of Bank of America Stadium, totaling just 33 yards on the ground through the opening 30 minutes. Mariota added that he didn't feel the weather played a part in the overall difficulties; rather, it was an inability to get the passing game going that allowed Carolina to stack the box and control the line of scrimmage.
As a result, Mariota began forcing throws, with coach Arthur Smith saying pinning it on his quarterback's playmaking mentality. The offense was down, and the former Oregon Duck knew he had to make something happen - but he's also well aware that some of his decisions simply can't be made.
"I was just trying to create a spark," Mariota began. "Looking throughout my career, that's when I get myself in the most trouble. Ill-advised throws, forcing throws down the field instead of just scrambling, gaining a few yards and keeping the chains moving."
Smith is steadfast in his approach that the Falcons needed better execution from all 11 players but said that the pressing was notable when he reviewed the film following the game. He added that while it didn't necessarily snowball, it "slowed us down" from an operational standpoint.
Atlanta's second-year coach reiterated much of what Mariota shared but failed to specifically call out his veteran signal caller.
"We weren't very clean operating," Smith said. "You get in a game like that, they held the ball for a long period of time. I think sometimes you start pressing, which we haven't done a lot of this year, but it was magnified (against Carolina).
"Nobody needs to do more than what their job is, and sometimes you've got to understand when the journey's over. I thought we pressed too much at times to try to provide a spark or mark a play that wasn't there."
While Mariota was fortunate to walk away with just one interception, his play has resulted in excessive calls for his job from fans and media alike, with rookie Desmond Ridder becoming the center of attention.
Should Mariota get the chance to start next Sunday against the Chicago Bears, the external pressure will be as high as it's been all season.
Moving forward, Mariota needs to rely on the experiences that put him back in position to start in the NFL - or else, he may be tasked with the realization that his individual journey as the Falcons' starting signal caller is over.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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