Falcons Sticking With Marcus Mariota Over Desmond Ridder; Right Decision?
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.
You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
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